


Hanai

by Banshi13



Series: Hanai [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Family, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, Gen, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:56:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 129,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21534826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Banshi13/pseuds/Banshi13
Summary: It was a Saturday, neither he nor Danny were on call, and they had a coveted uninterrupted, free night to themselves. To discuss, converse, parlay where they wanted to take this newfound thing of theirs, if anywhere, and how they would handle it if they did, or didn't.Steve did. Steve very much did. If someone had asked him if he'd ever consider dating a man, Steve would have told them no.And then he'd gone on a date, an actual date, with dinner and fireworks and everything, with Danny. He'd taken Danny home and shared beers and a long chair with him, and by the end of the night, he'd kissed Danny, not once, not twice, but several times. Short kisses, long kisses, quick pecks, long passionate kisses. He'd drank from Danny like he was a fountain, and when they were finally tired and wiped out from their evening, he'd taken Danny upstairs to his bed and done it some more before they'd finally fallen asleep.
Relationships: Adam Noshimuri/Tamiko Masuda, Junior Reigns/Tani Rey, Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: Hanai [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558444
Comments: 325
Kudos: 445





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _Author's Note_ : Five months of writing. 233 pages. 129,208 words. And it's finally done.
> 
> I'm excited to share with everyone. It's longer and far more in depth than I usually write. A few things that I will let readers know up front:
> 
> 1 – Because I started writing this in June of 2019, I didn't include Quinn in this; in fact, don't look for anything that has happened thus far in Season 10. This picks up right from the ending of 9.25.
> 
> 2 – Jerry is still here ya'll, conspiracy theories and all.
> 
> 3 – I'm very curious as to what happened with Azra and Khalid. When 9.25 aired, I assumed that we'd be picking up with that story and that we'd have a resolution to their fate. I'm beginning to suspect that part of the reason for that story line was to give Jorge Garcia a send off that made sense, seeing as how it's been nine eps in and no one has mentioned Azra or Khalid's names. It bugs me when the show does this, but, the good news is that I felt very free to do as I wished with these characters. So, there's that!
> 
> 4 – Nothing, only a wish for you to sit back, enjoy the ride, and that you are welcome to provide con/crit :D
> 
>  _Disclaimer: Hawaii Five-O, as well as the characters found within the series, are owned by CBS Productions, K/O Paper Products, and 101st Street Productions. No profit is being made off of this work_.

**Hawaii Five-0**

" _Oh my God…"_

_"Call EMS!"_

_"Danny, grab her! Somebody call Duke_!"

Voices which sounded vaguely familiar echoed through Jerry's mind. _So close, yet so far away_ – he finally understood the meaning of that phrase as he gazed unseeing at a bright light above him. He felt… constricted?

" _Steve, HPD's here."_

 _"I got the kid, I got him_."

Jerry was floating. It was a cool feeling. He imagined that this feeling must have been what the popular and in-shape jocks must have felt when he was in high school. They always seemed to walk on air - but then he was being pressed down. He was sinking, dropping right through the floor and all the while someone was above him telling him to keep his eyes open, to stay with them. But he wasn't trying to go anywhere, and dammit, he wanted more of that floaty feeling! Jerry tried to lift his arms – to throw off whatever it was that was keeping him from that amazing, freeing sensation, to claw his way back up out of the sudden inky blackness that was threatening to consume him, but his limbs were heavy, sluggish, almost as if someone had hooked anvils to his arms and legs that were only getting heavier by the second…

And then, there was nothing.

**Hawaii Five-0**

It hadn't been that long ago that Steve had been sitting on a floor in a hospital waiting to hear word that a surgical procedure had saved the life of one of the most cherished souls he'd ever known. Waiting for news that Grace was out of the woods and on her way to recovery had been like receiving air to oxygen starved lungs. This time was no different. Steve stood in the middle of a sterile hallway, hands on his hips, hazel eyes carefully watching hospital staff dart to and from room to room. Every 30 seconds or so, his gaze would flicker towards the large double doors which led to the emergency operating room, a holy line of demarcation Steve would give anything to cross but that he knew he couldn't. He hated hospitals.

It was one of the few places he had to admit that he was completely powerless.

"Alright," Danny pulled the phone away from his ear as he rounded a corner and approached Steve, who huffed out a harsh breath and looked eagerly at his partner. "Lou's got Hassan's wife down in rendition, Duke's at HQ with HPD securing the crime scene. I called Tani and Junior in, they're with the kid since social services isn't open right now."

"The gun," Steve ground out, "how'd she smuggle the gun in?"

"One of the security guards said that someone in an HPD uniform came up to him, told him he had a phone call just as Azra and Khalid walked up," Danny shook his head as he shoved the phone back in his pocket, watching as Steve wiped a frustrated hand over his mouth before balling it into a fist. "When the guard came back, he didn't see the guy, but he heard the gun shot and called EMS. Duke's still talking to him."

Steve wanted to scream. Of all the ways this could have gone down, the opening was as simple as someone stealing an HPD uniform and a security guard just trusting, going on faith alone, that he was a cop. "Whoever it was, we got him on camera," Danny reminded Steve. "He was either too stupid to remember that we actually surveil the palace or he didn't care." Danny settled for the placating grunt from his partner, knowing it was the best he was going to get right now. "Also, I tried Adam three times; he didn't pick up, so I left him messages to call as soon as he could, let him know what happened."

Steve's chin dropped to his chest, nodding in acknowledgement. "It's probably me being paranoid, but let's have Tani get a location on his phone. I'm not taking any chances with anyone tonight." Danny nodded, sending a quick text to Tani relaying Steve's instructions before pocketing his phone once again and observing Steve quietly. Steve was exhibiting all the signs – mouth turned downward, fingers curling into fists, head bent in shame, eyes closing for a few seconds too long every few minutes. "Stop it," Danny finally muttered. "S'not your fault, Steve."

"I should've never-"

"What?" Danny didn't so much as hesitate to continue interrupting Steve, ignoring the massive overlay of guilt piling on Steve's face. "You should've never what?" It was a back and forth that both men had experienced hundreds – no, thousands – of times in the nearly ten years they'd known each other. "Tried to make a truce? Or at least attempt to give that kid a good example of compassion and forgiveness other than the one his father taught him, and now his mom, huh? This is not your fault, Steve; it's not. Don't turn this around on you, babe. Don't do that."

"Danny-"

"Steven-"

"Commander McGarrett?"

Steve and Danny both whipped their heads around to face a short, older woman, perhaps in her mid to late 50's with salt and pepper hair just peeking out from underneath her surgical cap, and kind, if slightly tired, grey eyes. "You're here for Mr. Ortega?"

"Yea, how is he? Is he fine, he's gonna be okay?" And of course, this kind old woman wasn't put off by Danny answering for Steve, nor with which the rapid-fire pace of his words fell from his mouth; she was probably used to it, honestly. The nurse merely gave them both a gentle smile and patted Danny on his shoulder as if he were one of her own children. "We've gotten him on the table and we've started a blood transfusion since he would've lost quite a bit between here and Iolani Place. Other than that, I don't have much of an update for you as we're still assessing his injuries and prepping him for surgery. I can tell you that his procedure is going to be extensive and will take more than a few hours." She lifted a careful eyebrow at them. "You are, of course, welcome to wait here, but… it'll be a while. Does Mr. Ortega have any family? Parents, children, a spouse?"

"His mother," Steve answered dumbly. "She's on her way, we sent an HPD unit to pick her up."

"If you'll give me her information, I'll have our emergency desk keep an eye out for her and direct her here."

"Yea, thanks. Also, just to be on the safe side, I'm sending a few uniformed officers to the hospital to keep an eye on things." Steve didn't miss the look of alarm on the woman's face and he mentally kicked himself for not leading into that proclamation just a tad more gently. "Just as a precaution," he assured her, not wanting to start a full-blown panic among the hospital personnel.

"It's standard procedure – well, for him it is," Danny's arm nudged Steve's as he addressed the nurse, taking over the conversation as he so often did in situations like this where Steve was on red alert and was, Danny knew, resisting his 20 plus years of military service which was probably screaming at him to put the entire hospital on lock down out of a need to guard and secure a member of his ohana who had been hurt, who Steve believed had been hurt because of him and his failure to protect his team. It was bullshit, but Danny knew there was no shaking his partner of it, and so, he did what he could where he could.

Right now, that meant holding off Steve from calling the Governor and begging that the Hawaii Guard take up residence at Tripler for the next few days.

The nurse cleared her throat, and Danny could tell that she was eager to get back to work, and hopefully not just because of Steve's control issues and overpowering presence. "If you'll give me your direct numbers, I'll have someone call you with an update as soon as there is one available." Steve and Danny readily handed over their cell numbers and were soon left alone again. The hallway was now eerily quiet as they wanted for Jerry's mother to arrive.

"How many of them are still here," Danny muttered to himself. Steve gave a grunt which most people would have interpreted as 'I don't know' but that Danny actually knew meant 'how many of who are still here?'.

"Hassan's people. Right? They have to have people here on the island, okay? Azra and her son are here," Danny stuck two fingers up, and then lifted a third. Steve was transfixed on both of them for all of two seconds before realization snapped him to attention and had him digging his phone out of his pocket. "The fake cop," he lifted the phone to his ear and within seconds was answered.

"Duke. You got anything on the guy who impersonated the HPD officer?

" _Not yet, Steve. Junior and Tani are running facial recognition right now_."

"Okay, there has to be more than that one guy, Duke. Hassan's people, there has to be more of them on the island. Azra and Khalid, they didn't come here by themselves, they had help, and if Azra had at least one person providing a distraction, she probably has more. Tell Lou, he's still questioning Hassan's wife last I heard."

" _Will do, Steve. How's Jerry_?"

"We don't know." And that was the bitch of it. Steve had no power, no information, no leads on the shooting and where to find the fake cop or more of Hassan's people – he had nothing. He was completely helpless. "One of the nurses came out to talk to us before they started in on the surgery, but she wasn't able to tell us much – Jerry's gonna be on the table for a while though."

" _You'll be talking to him soon enough. He'll pull through_."

"Yea. Thanks, Duke. Danny and I are gonna wait for Mrs. Ortega to get here and talk to her for a bit and then we'll be back at the palace." No sooner had he hung up the phone did Steve glance down the hallway to see a woman still wearing pajamas with her hair in a messy bun 'round the corner with two police officers hot on her trail. He felt Danny's hand on his back and subconsciously leaned into it just a bit, just enough to really feel it before squaring his shoulders and striding down the corridor to meet a panicked mother looking for answers and praying for a miracle for her son.

**Hawaii Five-0**

It was 11:00pm by the time Steve and Danny arrived back at the palace. Steve killed the engine of the Camaro and fell back in the driver's seat with a heavy sigh, closing his eyes for a few precious seconds.

"I'll never understand it," he said, breaking the silence. He heard Danny shift in the seat next to him, and Steve knew his partner was waiting for the rest of it. This was a safe spot for him to unload. What he said in this car would never leave it. It had always been like that between Steve and Danny. "I really tried, Danny. I wanted nothing more than to put a bullet in Hassan's head and… I don't know, maybe if his kid and his wife hadn't been there, maybe I wouldn't have held myself back, I don't… but they were, and I didn't want his kid to see that. I didn't want the last memory his wife had of her husband to be me blowing his head off in front of her kid. And then she brings him here and I think she truly wants to move on and bury everything, and I let her in, and she does what she did in _front of her kid_ and I just – I don't get it!" Steve smacked his hands against the heart of the steering wheel and the Camaro. "She's a mother, Danny! She had to have known what would happen to her kid if she did this; didn't she care?!"

The only sounds in the car were those of Steve's heavy breathing as he tried to calm down, attempted to reconcile the choice Azra Hassan had made in his mind. He didn't feel Danny's hand on his arm until the other man squeezed him gently, but hard enough for Steve to know he was there, and that he got it. He got why this hit Steve so hard, and once again, Danny found himself silently cursing Doris McGarrett, wherever she was, that she'd left this kind of impression on her son. "I don't know, babe. I wish I did, wish I could explain it." And Danny did wish, from the bottom of his soul, that he had an answer that could satisfy both Steve's question of Azra's actions and what his mother had chosen to do all those years ago. In moments like these, Danny often thought that, short of Grace and Charlie, he would give anything to give Steve that peace of mind that he so desperately needed.

Steve bowed his head before lifting his hand and placing it over Danny's, enfolding it with his partner's for a few seconds and simply accepting the comfort Danny was offering him. Clearing his throat and grunting a resigned "alright", Steve's hand slipped from Danny's and they both hopped out of the car, heading into the palace. Usually at this time of night the lobby would be dark and quiet, but as both members of Five-0 strolled through the foyer, they saw it was still teeming with activity. Forensics techs were still dusting for prints, officers were talking with other personnel who had still been in the building when Azra and her son had come through, and in the middle of it all was Duke. Steve and Danny approached the older cop who was talking with a young HPD officer, and the latter immediately snapped his mouth closed as the two men approached. Danny didn't miss how the young recruit's eyes widened nor how his shoulders pinned back as he practically came to attention – this was clearly the guy who'd been on post when Azra and Khalid had come through. One look at Steve told Danny that he'd come to the same conclusion.

But Duke, wise Duke who was so much more of a badass than people gave him credit for, also saw that Steve had figured out exactly who the young officer was, and the first words out of his mouth took any rage out of Steve's furious sails. "Commander McGarrett, Detective Williams, this is Officer Iona, one of our more recent academy graduates. He took the shift of another officer who had a family emergency earlier this evening."

Danny felt bad for the kid, who couldn't have been more than 22 or 23. While Five-0 knew that Steve wasn't the gruff, strict man that his outer persona often times gave off (especially when he flung himself off cliffs and rooftops or stared down armed to the teeth suspects or drove the Camaro as if he were a one man Indy 500), most of HPD or other law enforcement who hadn't had the chance to meet him or work with him thought of Steve as the stereotypical military hard ass who went ballistic whenever something went wrong and one of his team was hurt as a result.

Kind of like now. Danny was almost certain the kid was going to piss his pants, so he nudged Steve in the arm and gestured towards Officer Iona, who hadn't moved a muscle since they'd both walked up. It was subtle, but after ten years of working together, the message to Steve was clear: _Give the kid a break; he's young and new, and it's not his fault_.

It was a long three seconds, but as Danny was about to count the number four in his head, Steve stuck his hand out for the young man to shake, and it took a few extra seconds for Iona to realize that he wasn't going to be laid out flat on the floor of Iolani Palace before he grasped the truce Steve was offering as tightly as he could, doing his level best to look McGarrett in the eye as he did.

Steve cleared his throat. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"I'd taken over a shift for Officer Himura…uh, his daughter was sick, and he couldn't come in. It was around 8:30 in the evening or so when she, uh, when Mrs. Hassan walked in and I was getting ready to put her purse and the kid's backpack through the scanner when a guy dressed in an HPD uniform told me I had a phone call from the station and they asked specifically for me. So, he said that he'd stand my post until I got back and… you know, I got back, and both the woman and the kid were gone and so was the officer. I didn't know anything was wrong until I heard the gun shot and as soon as I heard it, I called it in."

"Was there actually a phone call?" Steve asked. Iona shook his head.

"No, I just a dial tone. I figured whoever it was hung up when they thought I was taking too long."

"Did he say anything to you other than you had a phone call?" Danny pressed. "Did he give you a name, anything?"

"No, Sir. No name… he did have an accent though, I remember that."

"What kind of accent?" Steve dreaded the answer to his question, and he wasn't disappointed when Iona spoke.

"It was definitely middle eastern, but it wasn't thick. I remember he didn't have to think to speak either, like… he wasn't trying to translate in his head before he spoke English like I have to think before I speak in Japanese. He was fluent, I'm really sure about that."

"That's good," Danny was impressed. It took the mind of an investigator to decipher that bit of information and he wouldn't have expected it from someone fresh out of the academy. "That's good, anything else?"

"Yea. He knew my name."

"You're sure he didn't just catch it off of your name tag?" Danny clarified.

"I'm sure. He used my first name and he was about 20 feet from me when he yelled it to get my attention."

Danny shared a glance with Steve. That lent further credence to the theory that there may be more of Hassan's team on the island, and also presented a new idea; that Five-0 and the palace had been watched for some period of time. "Anything else?"

"No, Sir."

Steve gently touched Duke on the shoulder, gripping it tightly before his hand slid off. "Alright, thanks." He and Danny moved towards the staircase, but Officer Iona pipped up.

"Sirs?"

"Yea?" Steve glanced at him, Danny doing the same and shoving his hands in his pockets. Steve for his part really didn't want to hear the apology that he knew was coming his and Danny's way – not because he didn't forgive the guy but because there was nothing to forgive, not now that he'd heard Iona's side of the story. How could he expect a young kid fresh off of getting his badge to expect that someone would impersonate an officer and go so far as to steal a police uniform and learn his first name to do it? That kind of perception and cynicism came from being on the job for a decade or two, not just a few months.

And besides, if Steve hadn't said yes in the first place, Jerry wouldn't be lying on an operating room table at Tripler right now.

"I just wanted to let you know that I take full responsibility for what happened and that I'll accept whatever disciplinary actions HPD sets for me. I am truly sorry for what happened to Mr. Ortega, and to his family as well."

"Hey, uh… listen, Jerry wouldn't blame you, and we don't either, okay?" Danny stuck a handout for Iona to grip. "The guy was dressed as a cop, he knew your name, you're new to this job, you didn't have any reason to suspect that the guy wasn't who he appeared to be. Okay?"

That seemed to mollify Iona and Duke tugged the him away with assurances to both Steve and Danny that he would be in touch soon with an update.

When Steve and Danny finally made it to headquarters, they walked in to more forensics techs taking photos and dusting surfaces. They both made sure to steer clear of the area where Jerry had been shot and made their way over to Tani, whose busy hands were flying over the tech table. Steve beat her to the punch before she could ask about their injured teammate. "Jerry's been in surgery for a little over 90 minutes now. They're going to call us once they know something more."

"I'm no Jerry Ortega, but I have managed to get Azra Hassan's flight plans, and we're running facial rec on the guy who impersonated the cop downstairs."

Steve looked around. "Yea, Duke gave us a little update downstairs. Did you get a hit on Adam's cell phone?"

"I did. He was and remains at a condo in Diamond Head known for housing the obnoxiously wealthy. This one in particular is registered to none other than Tamiko Masuda."

"Well, that answers that," Danny cleared his throat.

"Yea." Tani arched an eyebrow at Steve. "You want me to keep calling him?"

"No, he's probably safe enough there." Steve ignored the rather loud snort Danny gave and resisted the urge to point out some rather 'unsafe' moves Danny had been making of his own as of late, but he swallowed down the snipe, knowing that his temper and nerves were frayed because of the situation they were all now dealing with. "Text him, tell him to call us as soon as he gets the message. Where's Junior?"

"With Khalid in his office," Tani's gaze flickered back towards the office where Junior could be seen with the boy. "He's been with him for a little bit now. He…Khalid had papers in his backpack," she murmured softly. "A medical history, a list of allergies, medications he can't take, his school records…"

Danny was already on his way to Junior's office, his instincts as a father guiding his footsteps, and Steve was right behind him, his own memories of his mother 'dying' pushing him to follow Danny right into Junior's office where they found him sitting next to a little boy with brown hair and a focused expression. Khalid was surrounded by crayons and white sheets of paper and scattered about him were a few drawings and doodles he'd done, all of them looking unfinished and harried, Steve might even say angry as he took in the harsh swirls of black, blue, and brown which marred the paper.

Danny immediately knelt next to Khalid and began talking to him while Junior stood up, stretching out his legs as he inched towards Steve. "How's Jerry?"

"In surgery. They'll call us when they know something," Steve folded his arms over his chest, watching Danny point at different drawings as he tried to get Khalid to open up. Out of all of them, the detective probably had the best shot of it. Danny was amazing with kids, and they always seemed to trust him fully and immediately, somehow knowing that a short, loud mouth cop from New Jersey who could be brash and hot headed would never be so with them and was someone they could trust and who would protect them with his very life if need be. "Tani said Khalid's backpack had his medical records in it?"

"Yea, his medical records, a birth certificate, an allergy list, his school records up to now, couple sets of clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, etcetera," Junior ran a tired hand over his face. "There was also a list of foods he likes, foods he won't touch… a note that said he had trouble sleeping without a night light and that he has bad dreams, was seeing a counselor for them. She planned this knowing that she probably wouldn't see her son again."

Junior looked as sick at that realization as Steve felt. What the hell had been going through this woman's head, that she thought this result, this finality – both her and her husband behind bars, unable to parent their child, to even see him – would be the best outcome for her son? "Has he eaten?"

"We tried to get him to eat some peanuts and a soda from the vending machine, but he wouldn't touch it," Junior listened as Danny's soft voice, the tone that was reserved only for those younger than ten, continued to flow through the otherwise quiet office space.

"Do we know if he's Muslim?"

Junior frowned. "I assumed he was, but I haven't found anything expressly stating so."

"Okay, well." Steve's head was starting to hurt and he thanked his lucky stars that the headache had been kept at bay up until now. "We need to find out because that's going to dictate his diet. If he won't eat, it might be because he doesn't know if it's Halal or not." Junior's lips quirked in that way it did when he had an idea but didn't know if it was a good one. "What?"

"Azra Hassan is downstairs with Lou, still."

Steve waited.

"We could ask her?" Junior shrugged. "She knew what she was going to do, she obviously planned for it by filling her kid's backpack with all of this information so that whoever wound up taking care of him would know the most important things about her son's background. While she's here we should get as much information about Khalid as we can. Social Services is going to need it."

It was a good idea. It was a great idea. Steve was proud of Junior for thinking of it. He just wasn't sure if he could look at Azra Hassan right now, didn't know if he could be in a 12 by 14 foot room with her at the moment, because there was currently nothing that would give him more satisfaction than ringing the woman's neck for what she'd done to Jerry, to her son, to Five-0. He could send Danny, but looking at his partner and the boy on the floor, he could see his partner was making some headway with Khalid, who was now looking up at Danny every so often. It was a wary look, filled with distrust and fear, but he was making eye contact, he was acknowledging Danny, and that was more than what Steve had seen him doing with Junior when he and Danny had walked in. Khalid had had enough taken away from him in his short life. He wouldn't take Danny too, not right now. The boy needed a strong, protective, reassuring father-figure type and there was no one better on Earth to fill that role than one Danny Williams.

"I'll be back," Steve muttered. "Help Tani with the facial rec and start going through all of the names we know are connected to the Hassan's. I have a feeling there's more than just Hassan's wife and the fake cop on the island and I think they've been here longer than a few days."

**Hawaii Five-0**

"She hasn't said a word, Steve," Lou shut the door to the rendition room and leaned a shoulder against the cool concrete wall to his right. "That woman's about as icy as Chicago in the dead of winter. I can't get anything out of her; all she's done is stare at the wall."

"So when you say she hasn't said a word-"

"I mean, she hasn't opened her mouth to so much as ask to use the ladies room, or ask after her kid for that matter," Lou cast a derisive look at the door. As a parent himself, he just couldn't understand it. There wasn't a day that went by that Lou didn't think about Samantha and Will and if they were happy and healthy and well on their way to a good life. "How is he by the way?"

"Danny's with him, I think he's getting Khalid to open up a little bit."

"Yea?"

"Yea. Khalid was actually responding to him a little bit when I left," Steve took a breath and gripped the door handle tightly. This was going to be one of the worst conversations in this room he'd ever had, and he'd interrogated a lot of people within the four walls in the bowls of the palace. But this? This time, Steve could feel the sickness in his gut. He wanted to lay into her to be honest, and by God, he knew he had every right to. He had every right to. Thank God neither Steve nor Danny had drawn their gun and fired, thank God Khalid hadn't been caught in a fire fight, or had been forced to watch his mother gunned down or worse, been shot himself. But, as Steve pulled the door open and entered the dim, blue tinted room with Lou right behind him, perhaps the worst for Khalid was yet to come.

Steve had some experience with that.

He had no trouble believing Lou's report; Azra certainly appeared as if she was quite content where she sat, even if she was cuffed to an unbending steel chair, and she was as unyielding as the handcuffs which held her. The woman's eyes, which had seemed warm when Steve had looked into them earlier in the night in his office, were now cold and hard; Steve wondered if she even registered his presence at all. She hadn't so much as flicked a gaze his way or blinked when he'd entered the room.

"Do you understand what you've done?" Steve brushed a hand across his mouth, glaring at Azra. He felt Lou behind him, off to the side, stepping back, letting Steve do his thing but ever present should the Steve's legendary control slip – something which tended to happen when cases dealt with parents making stupid decisions which affected their children's' livelihoods.

"Do you get what you've done? You've left your son without a mother. _Do you get that_? He already lost one parent – I put Omar Hassan away for _life_ because of what he did. That guy has no possibility of parole, he'll never see the outside of a jail cell again! And I wanted to kill him, believe me – he ordered the hit on my buddies, on a man who was like a father to me; believe me, I wanted to put a bullet in his eyes, but I didn't want that for your son. I didn't want that for him, I didn't want to do that to another kid."

Azra stared ahead silently, stone faced, as if all of Steve's impassioned words were sliding through one perfectly sculpted ear and out the other. "I wanted to stop the cycle," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "I thought you wanted the same thing. I thought there was no way that a mother would willingly put her child in the kind of danger you put your son in tonight." He stared at her, baffled at her silence. "Nothing?"

Nothing. Not a peep. Not so much as a glance in Steve's direction.

"Alright. Okay," Steve hung his head for a few moments, his hands on his hips, trying to right his thoughts before turning and making his way to stand in front of her, bending down just enough to force her to meet his gaze. "You put a member of my team in the hospital tonight. He's in surgery right now. I hope for Khalid's sake that he survives because if he dies, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that you never see the light of day ever again. If he lives, you go away for maybe 10-15 years, and that's assuming the Feds don't slap their own set of charges on you, which I very much hope that they do. In fact, I'm gonna go make a call to a friend of mine in the prosecutor's office to see if we can jump start that."

Steve turned away and Lou pushed off the wall, both heading for the door and the end of the conversation, but Azra stopped them, the clearing of her throat echoing in the room. "Where is Khalid?"

"Oh, now you're worried about him?" Lou tapped the back of his hand against Steve's arm in a jovial, mocking way. "How 'bout that?"

"Where is he? What have you done with him?"

Steve practically sneered at her. He was beyond disgusted at this point. "You weren't worried about him when you stuffed his backpack full of his medical records? What about when you got off the plane to bring him here, knowing what you were going to do? That stuffed animal he has with him, I bet it's his favorite." Steve was pleased to see just the slightest hint of guilt on the woman's face; he reveled in it, actually, but he caught himself, taking a breath. He had to keep his eye on the ball, as sick with the situation and the sorry excuse for a parent shackled to the chair in front of him as he was. He let out a breath, fixing his gaze on her. "Does he need a Halal diet?"

She blinked. "What?"

"His diet; does it need to be Halal? Is he Muslim?" Steve folded his arms over his chest. "I didn't see a prayer rug in his backpack – will he need one of those too?"

"Do you think everyone with brown skin is a Muslim, Commander McGarrett?" She smirked, and never before in Steve's life had he ever wanted to put his hands on a woman, but this vicious viper was testing his chivalry, not to mention his patience.

"No. But I did think that, as his mother, you would have some shred of concern for Khalid and his future, how he'll be raised."

"There isn't any need for you to worry about Khalid's future, Commander. He will be well cared for by those who know him best."

A stone of dread settled in Steve's stomach, and thankfully, Lou stepped in. "Oh, so you have some of your friends waiting to take him back to a cave somewhere and raise him? What, so that in 20 years, he can hire someone to take out McGarrett?" The disgust in Lou's tone was palpable. "You know, as parents, we're supposed to want the best for our kids. We're not supposed to want them or expect them to carry our grudges and fights on their shoulders."

If anything, Azra's smirk only widened and Lou recognized a lost cause when he saw one, not to mention he knew Steve's tolerance had reached its end.

"This Hatfield and McCoy shit is for the birds. Let's go."

It was subtle, but Steve knew an order when he heard one, and while he would have been well within his rights to tell Lou to wait outside while Steve interrogated Azra Hassan, he knew deep inside that it wouldn't do any good. So he followed Lou, each step taking him away from an unrepentant she-devil, and once the door slammed closed to the rendition room, Steve sagged against the wall outside of it, grateful that Lou had pulled the plug on the conversation when he had.

"I don't get it, Lou. How could a mother do this to her kid?"

"I think we should probably take comfort in the fact that we can't answer that, Steve."

"Why?"

"Because I'd hate to think that either of us could come up with anything resembling any kind of sense that would explain what's going through that woman's head right now."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Any news on Jerry?” Lou asked.
> 
> “I spoke with his mom about half an hour ago,” Adam dug his phone out from his pocket and read from the screen. “She said he’s in his ICU room now and he hasn’t woken up yet, but everything is progressing as it should. His numbers are being checked every half-hour. I was planning on calling Kamekona around 10:00am; wanted to see if he could run over there with some food for her, maybe keep her company.”
> 
> “Nothing like shrimp tacos when you’re in the hospital,” Danny shrugged. “So where are we at?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rolling right along here with Chapter 2. With the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner, I’ll try and get another chapter up by Friday, and certainly by weekend’s end!

**Hawaii Five-0**

" _Tani? What's going on_?"

Tani breathed a sigh of relief hearing Adam's voice. "Long story short; McGarrett met with Azra Hassan who, as it turns out, had a 3-D gun hidden in her son's backpack, which she used to shoot Jerry. He's in surgery now at Tripler."

" _…Jerry's been shot_?"

"Yea." Tani glanced at the clock. "He's going into his fifth hour now. McGarrett, Lou, and Junior are at the hospital now with Jerry's mom. Danny and I are still at HQ with Khalid."

" _Khalid_?"

"Sorry, Azra's son," Tani pursed her lips. "She brought him with her so she could smuggle the gun in his backpack."

" _God… I'm so sorry, I should've kept my phone close by_ -"

"We've all done it, Adam, don't beat yourself up about it. There's nothing you could've done. You being here wouldn't have stopped it." She could hear him moving around, heard what sounded like the rustling of clothing and blankets, caught him murmuring something softly to someone. Tamiko, probably.

" _Do you need me at headquarters_?"

"I think Danny and I have it handled here."

" _Then I'm heading to the hospital. Do me a favor, text McGarrett, let him know I'm on my way_?"

"Will do." Tani disconnected the call, tossed her phone on the table, and hung her head, taking a few precious moments of quiet to herself. The forensic techs had long since vacated the office area and the only sounds for the last hour or so had been that of Danny walking Khalid around the office, letting him get familiar with his surroundings and even allowing him to 'play' on the tech table for a little bit. Tani had no idea how Danny knew to answer Khalid's questions about his mother, or about why they couldn't see her yet, or why they couldn't even go outside, but the detective had handled every single inquiry with a grace that she figured must be bestowed upon every parent the moment their offspring was born into the world.

Well. Every parent except Azra Hassan.

Speaking of graceful detectives, she heard the door to Steve's office open and looked over her shoulder to see Danny walking out, exhausted but with an air of accomplishment. The little body on the couch tucked into a blanket and clutching a stuffed animal told her why. "Finally asleep?"

"Yea, for a little bit at least. My guess is he won't stay that way for very long. Having your mom sneak you into a secure perimeter to try and kill someone right in front of you tends to make sleep impossible, but…" he shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I hope that was Adam you were talking to on the phone?"

"Yea, he's heading over to Tripler now." She leaned against the table, rubbing her head. "You heading over too?"

"Me? No. No, I'm gonna stick around here, keep an eye on the kid. Steve may have put the palace on lock down, but no sense in taking chances." Danny's eyes rose to the screen hanging in front of them. "You've been busy."

"Trying to be, anyway." The screens were filled with photos, some surveillance, others mug shots with accompanying rap sheets. Tani's hands flew over the keyboard as she brought each picture to the foreground, one by one. "So far, this is what I've been able to cobble together from what information we had on Hassan's crew. These are all known associations from his core group."

"Alright. When Steve talked to Azra, he said that he got the feeling there were people waiting to take Khalid back; that would go with our theory that they've been on the island watching us, that this has been in the works for a little while. Anyone of these guys on the island or the mainland?"

"This one," Tani's hand swept across the table and brought a picture front and center. "This is Naheel Al Omar. He arrived on the island about two months ago."

"Residence?"

"That's where it gets interesting. He arrived in Hawaii and disappeared."

Danny canted his head just a bit. "Disappeared?"

"He has no home address under his name or any of his known aliases and I've run every credit card and bank statement I can get my hands on; he's not staying at a hotel."

"So, he's either staying with friends already here, using a new alias, or he came to the island with a suitcase full of cash." Any of the ideas were possibilities at this rate, and sense they couldn't do much with the first two, they may as well start with the third. "You remember that time when you and Junior called hotels and motels on the island trying to find a room number?"

Tani groaned, knowing where her night was headed. "Not with the fondest of memories…"

"You take A through L; I'll take the rest. Let's see if anybody by this name or description has checked in in the last two months."

**Hawaii Five-0**

Heavy, brown, automatic wooden doors slowly pushed open, breaking the sterile quiet of the waiting room in Tripler. A tall man wearing blue scrubs and an exhausted expression stepped out, and it wasn't long before he was swarmed by an anxious cadre of Five-0 members. "He'll be in the hospital for at least a week, probably longer depending on how he heals, but… he's going to pull through. The next 72 hours will give us a clue as to how well."

"So, he's going to be alright?" Adam stood next to Steve, who stood next to Jerry's mother, needing to reaffirm the diagnosis for the woman's sake, if not his and Five-0's own. Mrs. Ortega had refused to sleep and had actually been watching over and comforting Steve, Adam, and everyone else. It seemed to give her a degree of peace, a mission in the face of not being in control of the tragic event that had befallen her son, and the team more than understood that.

"He's going to be alright eventually, but – well. A quarter of an inch lower and I would either still be in surgery attempting to repair a main artery to his heart, or," he flicked his gaze toward Jerry's mother and everyone there could see he had made the deduction in less than half a second just who the woman was to Jerry and was therefore tempering his answer accordingly, "or, I would likely be delivering some unpleasant news."

Junior, blessedly, decided to move the conversation along. "When can we see him?"

"He's in recovery for the moment and we'll likely keep him there until the next shift arrives in about three hours. After that, we'll move him into ICU and if the next 24 to 48 hours go well, we can put him in a Step-down suite, and then we'll go from there, but for the moment - Mrs. Ortega, I presume?"

She nodded.

"I'll take you back to recovery and you can sit with him for a little while, at least until the ICU room is ready, and then we'll call you back once he's moved in there and settled." The doctor cast his gaze on the rest of the group. "As for you, much as I respect and am familiar with Five-0, I'm only authorizing immediate family visits for the next 48 hours. Mr. Ortega will be sleeping a good deal for the next two days and we'll need him to focus solely on that rather than having conversations with visitors."

The order to vacate the premises was as good as given, kind and gentle as it was, and Steve, Junior, Lou, and Adam took the hint. After promising to check in with Mrs. Ortega and arranging with Duke to have HPD give round the clock security to Jerry as long as he remained in the hospital, the four men took their leave. As Steve headed for his truck, he heard his name being called and he turned to see Adam making his way towards him.

"I just wanted to apologize for not picking up the phone earlier tonight," Adam stuffed his hands in his pockets, half sheepish, half disappointed in himself. "I was with Tamiko and I put the phone on vibrate and… I just – I never thought this would happen-" Steve could see Adam was working himself up into a major episode of guilt and slid his hand onto his friend's shoulder calm him. "This would've happened whether you were there or not, Adam, okay? If I'm blaming anyone for this happening to Jerry, I'm blaming myself. I'm the one who signed off on Azra Hassan coming up to HQ." Steve took a breath, allowing his hand to fall from Adam's shoulder once the saw him halfway accept what Steve was telling him. "This is on me, man. You were having a night in with a woman you like. No one can blame you for that. Jerry definitely wouldn't, so."

Adam cleared his throat. "Well, I'm probably the only one out of all of you that's managed to get any kind of sleep tonight, so I'll head back to headquarters and see if I can help out there."

"I'll see you there." Steve turned away from Adam, knowing his friend was going to insist he go home, and headed for his truck, climbing in and shutting the door, leaving Adam standing in the parking lot as he drove off, heading for HQ and beer that he knew he still had in his office fridge.

And he needed a beer to numb him just a little bit after the last eight hours or so. Once again, Steve had listened to his better angels, and once again, that decision had led to a member of his team, his ohana, being hurt. He should have known, he should have seen it coming. When would he start seeing this stuff coming? Hell, at the very least, Steve could've gone down to the lobby to meet her rather than bring her into headquarters, into the inner sanctum of Five-0. Then no one else but him would've been at risk and he likely could've have very well disarmed her or at least literally dodged the only bullet she'd had in the chamber of the 3D gun.

Either way, Jerry wouldn't have landed in the hospital. No matter what Danny or Adam said, Steve blamed himself entirely for that, and he knew a part of himself always would.

Steve wasn't surprised to see the Camaro still loyally in its parking space, nor was it a shock to see Tani's car there either. Steve knew no matter how tired Danny was that he'd never leave a child who had been traumatized the way Khalid had the previous evening alone. As he made his way through the now clear lobby and into headquarters, he saw Tani at her desk on the phone. He stopped, poking his head through her door and waited for her to finish the phone call.

"Junior texted, said that Jerry was out of surgery."

"Yea," Steve cleared his throat. "We should be able to visit with him in a couple of days. Doc thinks he's going to be okay; we just need to see how the next day or two goes." He gestured towards the phone. "Any news?"

"So, we had a thought," Tani said as she stood and moved past him towards the tech table. "These are all of the associations of Omar Hassan that I've managed to find through various alphabet soup agencies. One of them, this guy here," she pointed to Naheel Al Omar, "we think he's currently on the island and has been for the past two months. He landed at Honolulu International and so far as we can tell, he hasn't traveled off Oahu since."

"So, he's probably been watching us for at least that long then," Steve muttered, "he's probably the one Azra Hassan meant when she said Khalid would be 'cared for by those who knew him best'."

"That's what Danny was thinking. We've run his financials, and aside from the plane ticket he bought, we have no movement on his credit card or bank statements, so he's probably using cash for everything."

"Is he staying at a hotel?"

"If he is, it's not under his name or any of his aliases." Tani bowed her head and rubbed the back of her neck. "Danny and I have been calling hotels and motels asking if anyone has checked in for longer than a month and paying in cash matching his description."

"Any luck?"

"No joy, as you Navy boys would say."

Steve's lips quirked, not bothering to inform her that that was more of a pilot's term. Besides, the Navy had pilots anyways. "Spending too much time with Junior," he joked, looking around the commons area. "Where's Danny?"

"In your office making phone calls so that he can be near Khalid," Tani pointed over her shoulder towards Steve's office where they could both see Danny hunched over Steve's desk, talking quietly. Steve craned his neck a little bit more and he could just make out a little body lying on his couch, tucked safely and securely into a blanket, a stuffed animal hanging from his tiny hand. "What are we going to do with him until Monday?" Tani dropped her hand to her hip. "Social Services won't be open until then and even an emergency placement can take a few days to negotiate, and it's not like we can really leave him with someone else if we've got this guy running around the island."

"He'll just have to stay here for now," Steve sighed. He hated it, but it was the safest place Khalid could possibly be. "We'll grab some clothes for him, toiletries, maybe Danny can talk to him in the morning and see what foods he likes that he'll actually eat. I think I've got a futon somewhere at the house I can bring in here. He can use that as a bed…"

Through the window, he saw Danny hang up the phone and rub his head. "The others are on their way back. We'll debrief when we're all together and then we need to get some sleep. We can tackle the hotel list tomorrow; did you send his photo to HPD?"

"Yea, Duke has it. I told them if anyone on patrol sees him to not engage, just call us with the location and keep an eye on him."

"Great. Thanks, Tani."

Steve turned on his ninja skills as he entered his office, scooting past Khalid's peaceful form as Danny looked up at him, giving a half-hearted wave in acknowledgement. Steve kept his voice just above a whisper as he spoke. "How long's he been asleep?"

"A little over two hours now," Danny closed his eyes and leaned back in Steve's chair, "he's got the right idea, if you ask me."

"Tani told me what you two are working on; any luck so far?"

"Nope." Danny blinked his eyes open and tried to hide a yawn behind a hand. "How's Jerry?"

"Out of surgery, finally. His mother is with him now, and as long as everything progresses well, we should be able to visit him in a few days or so. HPD will take shifts at the hospital as long as he's there." Steve sat down in a chair across from Danny, stealing another glance at Khalid. Once again, he found himself wondering how a parent could do what Azra Hassan had done to her own child.

"The others on their way back?"

Steve nodded. "We'll debrief when they get here and then we need to get some sleep. I'll stay here with him," Steve nodded at the boy, "you guys can go home and get some shut eye for a few hours."

"I'd love to do that but seeing as I'm really the only one of us he's been around for any extended period of time tonight, I'll bunk here," Danny stood up, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders. "We've got the couches in the break room; that'll be good enough. One of the benefits of Rachel having the kids this weekend, I guess."

"Yea, good thing."

Clearly, Danny heard something in Steve's tone because the silence between them was palpable until he groaned. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, alright? I really am. I should've told you I was taking her to Kauai."

"It's not that, Danny, you don't answer to me, I just…" Steve rolled his tongue in his mouth a bit. It was nearing dawn, they were both exhausted and had what amounted to a terrorist plot on their hands, and this wasn't the time to have this conversation. Not that anytime was ever a good time to have this conversation, but still. Steve gazed up at Danny, saw him waiting, as if he were preparing himself to receive a holy judgement from on high. "I get why you didn't tell me. I do. This is something you need to figure out for yourself and… and, you know, I'm with you. I support you. I want you happy, Danny. That's all."

"So, you don't have any concerns, or uh… negative opinions, vehement disagreements about me and Rachel possibly reconciling?" Danny's expression was a mix of fatigue and incredulity, and Steve was entirely grateful that the sounds of the rest of the team entering the bullpen reached his ears. "To be continued," he murmured, clearing his throat and stretching as he stood, not missing the look Danny gave him, but unusually, Steve was having trouble deciphering this particular countenance. It didn't matter though; he and Danny embarking on this subject while they were both beyond tired and stressed was by far the worst play either of them could make. "C'mon – a five minute debrief and then we can get some sleep."

**Hawaii Five-0**

Years of light sleeping in uncomfortable places and positions with others had trained Steve's mind to recognize when someone was staring at him in his sleep. Perched in one of his office chairs with his feet up on the other certainly qualified as uncomfortable, and Steve scratched the back of his neck as he sat up a little more, rolling his head a bit to work the kinks out while he looked around. Sure enough, as he blinked sleep from his tired eyes, he came face to face with a little boy sitting on the floor beneath him, wide brown eyes open and looking at him.

"Hey there," Steve murmured, thankful that he didn't have to try so hard to keep his voice gentle since he'd just woken up. He was sure to move slowly as he lifted his legs off the other chair and softly set his feet on the floor, making all of his movements as non-threatening as he possibly could. Khalid watched every move with rapt attention.

"You okay?" Steve leaned down a bit, keeping his hands in front of him. "You hungry? Bet you want some breakfast?" He watched as Khalid's fingers played with the hem of his shorts. Steve would've missed it if he hadn't been listening so intently for an answer, but he caught the mumbled word. " _Ahm_."

Ahm. Arabic for mother.

Steve let out a quiet sigh. "Ahm is some place I can't take you right now, Khalid. Your Ahm, she uh… she did a very bad thing last night. And we have to talk to her and try to figure out why she did what she did." With every word, Steve's heart broke as Khalid's face fell. He couldn't have been more than six years old; all he wanted was his mother, and he was being told he couldn't have her.

Steve could relate.

"Look," Steve slid down to the floor, peering at Khalid until the kid looked back up at him. "Why don't we get you ready for the day, okay? Get you to the bathroom, brush your teeth, change your clothes, get you some breakfast. That sound okay?" He watched Khalid, could see the wheels turning in his head as he thought of Steve's proposal, and when he finally lifted his chin and looked Steve in his eyes, he knew whatever the kid asked for next, he wouldn't be able to deny him.

"Da'nee?"

Steve barked a laugh. Of course the kid would be asking for Danny; out of everyone in Five-0, his partner had spent the most time with Khalid the previous evening and kids took to Danny like they took to candy, bounce houses, and ice cream trucks – they loved him. "Yea, we can go see Danny. Let's get you dressed and ready to go, and then we can go find him and see what he's doing, okay?"

That seemed an acceptable offer to Khalid and he stood, reaching up to take Steve's hand while Steve grabbed the backpack with the other. As they headed towards the bathroom, Steve knew at some point he'd have to get Khalid some place where he could take a bath, but while Al Omar was free, he was loath to leave the protection the palace afforded them. Then again, if they absolutely had to leave, they could always drive a non-descript vehicle out of the sally port and get Khalid to where he needed to go. He certainly couldn't stay at the palace for more than a few days, and Steve didn't want him there even that long, not that they couldn't make it work for a day or two, but Khalid shouldn't have to stay in such a cold, mechanical, hardened place; no child should.

Once they'd gotten Khalid fresh and changed, Steve led the boy by the hand towards the break room where he knew Danny to be if the smell of freshly brewed coffee was anything to go by. As Steve suspected, Danny was up and about, pouring himself a cup of coffee. What he didn't expect to see was a bag of what looked like different breakfast foods. Danny waved at them both as Steve pulled a chair out for Khalid to sit in. "You go shopping?"

"Woke up and couldn't go back to sleep," Danny shrugged. "Figured I'd run out to a gas station and get some stuff." He ambled over to the table and pulled each item out for Khalid to choose from. "So we got Fruit Loops – not this guy standing next to you, he's the biggest fruit loop there is but he's not gonna taste as good as these-"

Khalid smiled a little at Danny. Steve stifled an inappropriate joke.

"-and then we have some egg biscuits here. This has bacon on it; have you ever had bacon?" The boy nodded. "Okay, good, so you know how good these are then."

As Danny continued to explain the different foods he'd bought, Steve just sat back and marveled at his partner. One of the more burning questions on Steve's mind had just been answered; Khalid wouldn't need anything Halal, and that would make things a lot easier from here on out.

Danny decided on a smorgasbord and although Steve wasn't used to eating what he called 'processed junk' for his breakfast, beggars couldn't be choosers and he knew how important eating in front of Khalid would be for building trust moving forward. Danny set Khalid up with a strawberry pop tart, a bacon and egg biscuit, and a glass of orange juice and then moved to microwave his and Steve's food.

"So, I was thinking we'd call over at the Hilton and rent a room for a few days for Khalid," Steve murmured. "It'll probably take some time to find this Al Omar guy and I don't want to keep the kid here. There's nothing for him to do, he'll be more comfortable if he can be someplace where he can move around a bit more, watch some cartoons, stuff like that?"

"Makes sense, we just need to figure out a way to get him out without any of Hassan's people figuring out he's left the building," Danny looked over his shoulder at the boy who was quietly and slowly eating. "Did he say anything this morning?"

Steve shook his head. "Not much. He asked for his mother, of course which…"

"Which?"

"I need to call Ellie today and see what time the arraignment is on Monday. Azra'll be in HPD lock up until then."

"24-hour guard?"

"Yep."

"Well," the microwave dinged, and Danny opened it, taking one biscuit out with a paper towel and handing it over to Steve before grabbing one for himself and shutting the door. "We've got him at least for the next two days, probably a few more after that until Social Services can place him. But I like the idea of the hotel. Who do we put on him?"

"I was thinking of you," Steve took a bite of the food while watching Danny's face morph into one of surprise.

"Me?"

"After he asked for his mom, he asked for you. Actually, he asked for 'Dah-nee'," Steve grinned.

"Yea, I don't know what it is about my name, but little kids just can't pronounce it right on the first try."

"If we send him to a hotel, can you stay with him?" At Danny's look, Steve plowed through. "You're the second person he asked for this morning, you clearly got through to him at least a little last night, right? Obviously, he feels comfortable enough around you, maybe even safe. You're the best choice out of all of us here. Danno." He grinned what he knew to be his insufferable grin at his partner.

Danny gave a long-suffering sigh that Steve knew meant nothing other than, 'alright, fine, I'll do it' and both men ambled over to the table to sit with Khalid. The trio made small talk and Khalid (with Danny's gentle nudging) spoke more than a few words to Steve, which made the latter beam with happiness. It wasn't long before sounds of life came from the bullpen and after making sure the child was well stocked with another biscuit, juice, and a healthy supply of paper and crayons, Steve and Danny made their way out into the main area, greeting their team mates who looked equally as tired as they did.

"Any news on Jerry?" Lou asked.

"I spoke with his mom about half an hour ago," Adam dug his phone out from his pocket and read from the screen. "She said he's in his ICU room now and he hasn't woken up yet, but everything is progressing as it should. His numbers are being checked every half-hour. I was planning on calling Kamekona around 10:00am; wanted to see if he could run over there with some food for her, maybe keep her company."

"Nothing like shrimp tacos when you're in the hospital," Danny shrugged. "So where are we at?"

"We're still running facial rec on the guy who impersonated an HPD officer to help get Azra in," Junior's fingers flew across the flat keyboard, bringing up a series of what looked like fractured photos, along with the program display. "This guy was prepared. He knew all of our camera angels, ducked his chin, turned his back to avoid them, the whole nine yards. We're still piecing together what his face might look like."

Steve folded his arms over his chest, watching on the screen as the software catalogued and scanned thousands of faces seemingly in a second. "How far along are we?"

"It's just over 60% of the way through. We should know something by noon."

"Danny and I got a respectable dent in the hotel slash motel list we've cobbled together, but it'll help if we have more fingers dialing numbers." Tani held up multiple folders in her hands. "I've divided them all up, so everyone can take a folder and get to work."

"I'm sorry; why am I calling hotels?" Lou looked between Tani and Junior. "Didn't we do this like a year and a half ago with the running down hotel owners' bit?" Tani stretched a lean arm over the magic table and swept a photo up onto the display, providing the cliff notes version.

"Naheel Al Omar is a member of Omar Hassan's crew and is somewhere in Hawaii, on Oahu we're pretty sure. He flew in about two months ago, but he hasn't used a credit card to check in to any hotels, and none of his aliases pop up on flights leaving the island, so, it's either he's paying in cash, using a new alias which would make no sense for him to do since he's already flown in under his own name, or he's crashing with friends."

"Friends that we don't have the identities of yet," Lou groaned. "Alright, give me a folder. How's the kid doing, by the way?"

Steve consciously lowered his voice, mindful of little ears that weren't terribly far away. "All things considered, I think he's doing okay. You know, he wants to see his mom. He asked for her this morning. I'm gonna call the Hilton and rent a room for the next few days." He gestured at his partner. "Danny's going to stay with him."

"Uh-huh."

It was only then that Steve noticed Danny looking at him strangely. "What?"

"What?"

"I asked you first."

"You asked me 'what', Steve, that's not exactly a question loaded with specificity-"

"You know what I mean when I ask you 'what', it's because you're giving me a look-"

"Uh, no," Danny held up a superior finger, "we have long since established that I do not have looks or faces; you have those. I have tones."

"Gentlemen," Lou's exasperated yet slightly amused voice broke through the argument threatening to hold the rest of the team hostage. "As entertaining as this Fairly Odd Couple routine is, we have two perps to find, a kid to house, and I have a wife that's on my behind because she was expecting me home all weekend to work on the roof, so if you could finish your marital spat a little later?"

Silence reigned supreme over the room until Tani, with a straight face and innocent cadence, said, "You work on your own roof?"

Before Lou could launch into what was sure to be a self-righteous defense on how he absolutely could work on roofs and why would she ever imply that he couldn't or wouldn't, Adam blessedly stepped in. "Why don't we let the facial rec' work its magic while some of us go through the list of hotels and try to find Al Omar?"

"I'll call the Hilton and see if they've got a room for us for the next few days," Danny stole out of the room, cell phone in hand as he headed for the break room and Khalid. Steve grabbed up a folder. "First one to find a match gets free Side Street."

**Hawaii Five-0**

"I heard from Ellie; she said Azra will be arraigned Monday morning, first on the docket." Steve let his gaze fall on the shadow that crept along his desk as the day went on. He was tired, and his eyes were sandy and gritty, but he'd gone through several pages of phone numbers in the folder he'd taken and he figured he'd earned himself a short break to call Danny. "How's the kid doing?"

" _Well, he's discovered Boris and Natasha and he finds them fascinating, so pretty good so far_."

"Boris and Natasha?" Steve practically heard Danny's eyeroll through the phone.

" _Rocky and Bullwinkle_." There was no response from Steve and now Danny let his exasperation shine through clearly. " _Don't tell me you've never seen Rocky and Bullwinkle_!"

"Okay, I won't tell you that I've never seen Rocky and Bullwinkle."

" _You're watching that next time me and Charlie are over_."

"Hey, speaking of Charlie," Steve cleared his throat. "Is Rachel okay with you working the weekend?"

" _Yea, you know_ …" Steve didn't press him any further and Danny didn't volunteer anything else, so he moved on. "How'd Khalid take the car ride over?"

" _Pretty good with that too, which makes me think this wasn't the first clandestine operation he's been a part of_ ," Steve heard Danny open up what sounded like a sliding glass door and the sounds of birds calling and waves crashing against the shore flowed through the speakers. " _He didn't say a word about ducking his head so he wouldn't be seen through the windows. He even knew where to walk when we were bringing him into the Hilton, so Hassan put a detail on his wife and kid at least some of the time for him to remember how to behave like a protectee_."

Hearing that bit of news just made Steve sadder. What kind of life had that kid lived before his parents had blown it up with their actions? And that question made what Steve was going to suggest sound all the crazier, but he had to do it, if for no other reason than to be able to look himself in the eye in the mirror in the mornings. "What do you think about bringing Khalid to the courthouse to see his mother?"

" _Ah, see, I knew it_."

"You knew what?"

" _That face that you were making this morning? I knew it was because you wanted to do something like this_."

"He wouldn't be left alone with her. We'd require her to speak English, and I can call over to Pearl if we need someone who speaks Arabic just to be on the safe side in case she tells him to do anything insane or lets slip a piece of information that would be helpful." Steve wiped a hand over his mouth, closing his eyes. "It'd be for five minutes, ten tops, Danny. He's not going to see her for a long time…"

He willed Danny to understand, to sympathize with his position, emotional as it was. The waves on Danny's side of the phone were a good representation of what his heart was doing now, crashing against his chest over and over again as he listened to his partner's breathing. When he took a deep breath, Steve held his own as Danny's soft, gentle words served to sooth the pounding in his chest.

" _What time is the arraignment_?"

"First thing, so probably around 9:15am."

" _I'll… get another car over here to take over to the courthouse. I'm sure we weren't followed, but no harm in being safe. You set up the meeting where you want and we can do it before she has to go into the courtroom_."

Relief flooded through Steve, so quickly that it almost made him dizzy. Knowing that Danny had his back on something so important always made him feel too big for his skin. "Thank you, Danny."

" _I know what it means to you. I know where it's coming from, babe. I get it_."

 _You're the only one who would_ , Steve thought as Junior stuck his head in his office. "Sir, we've got a hit on the facial rec."

"I gotta go, Danny; we've got something on the guy who impersonated the cop."

" _Keep me in the lop, yea_?"

"Yea." Steve ended the call and stood up. "What've we got?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who don’t know, Halal is food that meets the requirements of an Islamic diet. Much how those of the Jewish faith only eat Kosher food, Muslims only eat food that is Halal.
> 
> Also, I know in the show that when the team uses facial recognition software that they usually get a hit within 30 seconds; facial rec software does not work like that in real life, nor is it as accurate as police process shows present them to be. However, they are a handy dandy plot device, and I shamelessly stole the idea of putting together different angles of someone’s face to find an idea from, drum roll please, Chin Ho Kelly from all the way back to Season 1, Episode 9, the ep. with Nick Taylor :D So, thank you for that, Chin!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why didn’t you tell me about Rachel, Danny?” Steve’s voice was soft, and he tried to disguise the hurt in his voice because he wasn’t trying to guilt Danny, but he knew he hadn’t succeeded when he saw his partner wince and dip his chin a little. When Danny answered, his voice was just as gentle.
> 
> “I’m sorry.”
> 
> “I know,” Steve murmured. “But why?”
> 
> “I don’t…” Danny started to say that he didn’t know, but that was a lie; he did know, and he’d already lied to Steve once about this. He couldn’t do it again, not when everyone important in Steve’s life had lied to him, not when Danny had promised Steve all those years ago that he’d never keep important things from him or lie to him when so many others had.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Dusk had settled on Oahu. The night was more humid than usual, a sign that a storm would break over Honolulu later that night, no doubt putting a damper on the usual Saturday night socializing and club-hopping, but that storm would be of the natural variety. The one that Five-0 was about to unleash on their target and whomever else had the misfortune of being in the house they were currently surveilling would eclipse any possible squall that would come later.

" _Steve, we're in position_ ," Lou's voice was the final signal that everyone was prepared behind the house, ready to stop anyone who thought they could escape Five-0's wrath by running out the back door. It was justice too, but neither Steve nor anyone else on the team deluded themselves into thinking that vengeance wasn't on their minds as well.

Steve wasn't going to make them wait any longer.

"Go."

Raids like this always seemed to go quicker than they really did, and this one was no different. Their target, Rashid Aswad, a man in his mid-40's, had a beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other, and was shocked into submission when Five-0 stormed his living room, hardly putting up any resistance to Junior and Tani tag teaming him while Adam, Steve, and Lou cleared the rest of the house, leaving a small contingent of HPD outside.

"Steve!"

Adam's voice carried down the hallway and Steve moved to meet him, happily surprised by what he saw when he came to meet him in the threshold of what appeared to be a bedroom. There, by the window that he'd managed to jimmy a quarter of the way open, stood Naheel Al Omar. As Steve and Adam moved into the room, rifles trained on their target, Lou came into doorway and took in the scene.

"Well, I guess this means we can stop calling all those damn hotels," he muttered, glaring at the man as Steve handcuffed him. "I got a hell of a crick in my neck trying to track your ass down."

"Azra missed her mark," Steve growled at the man, shoving him forward, perhaps a bit rougher than he needed to but neither he nor Adam or Lou cared. "Instead of shooting me, she shot a good friend of mine. And she knew she'd be caught but she hired you to wait in the wings and take her son back, huh?"

The man said nothing as he stumbled out of the room and into the hallway, hitting the wall with an audible thud. Lou could've caught him if he'd wanted to.

He didn't.

Steve was on Al Omar in less than three seconds, grabbing him by the back of neck and shoving him towards the living room where Aswad sat on the couch, no longer so much shocked as he was now stoic, knowing he was in deep shit and likely unable to get out of it.

"You and Rashid here are going to have a nice, long time to decide if what you did was worth it," Steve handed the man off to Tani, "and that's just on the state charges. When the federal charges come down, that's when it'll be game over for you, especially you, Rashid; third time back in the U.S., huh?"

It was all rather anti-climactic and Steve found himself wishing that either or both of their perps had put up a fight so that he could take some of his frustration out on them, but as both Aswad and Al Omar were put into a squad car and driven away to be processed, he found himself unsettled. He turned to see Lou looking at him, a thoughtful expression on his face. "This all seem a little easy for you?"

And yes, it did, if Steve was being honest. Al Omar taking such pains to hide himself for two months and then being found in the very home of the person he'd hired to smuggle Azra into HQ?

"Yea," he nodded. "Yea, a little too easy. So, we don't stop hunting down the rest of Hassan's crew and we find out if Rashid has any buddies on the island. If he does, they'll be harder to find since they're all probably here illegally." It wasn't what Steve wanted. What he wanted was to be able to chase every last member of Hassan's team down and personally toss them in a super max for the rest of their lives. But with as much sway as he had, Steve didn't have that kind of pull, and even he knew it. "I'll call Danny and check in with him. He should be awake."

"Sounds fine to me. We can let the kids finish up here. I'm going to check in with Jerry's mother and see how he's doing."

"Shoot me an update, yea?"

"Will do."

As Lou headed back towards Tani and Junior, Steve dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed Danny. He wasn't surprised when his partner answered on the second ring and was even less surprised to hear not one ounce of sleepiness in his voice. " _Bad date_?"

"Best date in a while," Steve chuckled. "Kind of date that ends in catching the bad guys and sending them off to Intake at HPD."

" _Oh, well that's right up your alley then_."

"Very funny," Steve reached his truck, and unhooked his rifle from its sling, opening the back-cab door and securing it before closing it again. "How's Khalid?"

" _Asleep, thankfully. I don't think he got a lot last night, so he passed out around three hours ago and hasn't woken up once since_."

"Well, everything over here went about as well as can be expected… maybe a little too well."

" _How so_?"

"Too easy, Danny. It was all just too easy. We found Rashid Aswad, but we also found Al Omar here too. Aswad looked shocked to see us and Al Omar was trying to jump out of a window when we found them, but…"

" _You wanna keep Khalid in protective custody then_?"

"I don't know, I mean…" Steve sagged against the truck, "what kind of life is that for a kid?"

" _Might be better than giving him over to Social Services and having him go through the system as a foster child, especially one that's been through what he has, seen some of the stuff he has_."

"…what are you suggesting?"

" _Nothing specifically, but if you think the op tonight was too easy and there might still be a possibility that someone from his parents' camp might come to the island and try to take Khalid away that maybe the best place for him is with someone from Five-0_."

Steve turned and opened the door to his truck, climbing in and turning the engine over. "You gonna be up for a bit?"

" _Long enough to order some room service. Steak_?"

Steve grinned. "See you in a bit."

**Hawaii Five-0**

"The hale and vital SEAL returns from his mission, eh?" Danny closed the door behind Steve and headed into the living room, pointing with his finger to the right. "Khalid's in there, so I've got stuff set up on the patio outside." He led Steve through the suite and out onto the lanai, settling in after leaving the sliding glass door open just a bit, enough to hear if Khalid called for him. "So, you got the bad guys, Azra will be in court Monday morning." Danny popped the cap off of a beer and passed it over to his partner before serving himself one. "They say anything when you arrested them?"

"No," Steve took a drink before leaning back and closing his eyes, "neither of them said a word. I'm going to let them sit in the tank at HPD for the night before talking to them. I won't get anything out of Al Omar, but maybe Aswad will give us something if we can sell him on the idea that we'll make nice with ICE."

"He's here illegally?"

Steve nodded. "He's in AFIS as undocumented a few times. We had more than enough photos from ICE to make the match." Danny lifted the lid to his plate, the mouthwatering scent wafting over Steve's way and making him do the same. "Though he probably won't know much. If Al Omar is smart, he likely just put Aswad up for the bait and switch and didn't tell him why."

"Yea, but he had to have told him something," Steve dug into his steak and ignored the muttered, yet affectionate 'animal' from across the table. "No one in their right mind just decides that they're going to impersonate a police officer and walk into a secure perimeter just for the hell of it."

They went back and forth as they ate and drank, the night wearing on and the sounds of the beach's night life climbing the walls of the Hilton, landing on the balcony. It was a Saturday night, a warm, beautiful evening with the waves crashing gently against the shore, music echoing off the high rises the boardwalk below, and lights from restaurants and bars illuminating the sandy beach and streets beneath them. For a long while after they were finished eating, Danny and Steve just watched; watched the people, the life, the environment around them, until Steve drained the last of his beer and set the bottle on the table, allowing an uncertain finger to linger on the rim.

"Why didn't you tell me about Rachel, Danny?" Steve's voice was soft, and he tried to disguise the hurt in his voice because he wasn't trying to guilt Danny, but he knew he hadn't succeeded when he saw his partner wince and dip his chin a little. When Danny answered, his voice was just as gentle.

"I'm sorry."

"I know," Steve murmured. "But why?"

"I don't…" Danny started to say that he didn't know, but that was a lie; he did know, and he'd already lied to Steve once about this. He couldn't do it again, not when everyone important in Steve's life had lied to him, not when Danny had promised Steve all those years ago that he'd never keep important things from him or lie to him when so many others had.

Not when Danny had been sick with the guilt of knowing he'd misled his partner and best friend of nearly a decade while he'd been with Rachel on Kauai for those few days.

"I was worried about what you'd say, how you'd react," he admitted, looking out over the black ocean. "I didn't plan any of this, you know. I thought it was all over and done with, what with the divorce and the stuff she pulled with Grace, and Charlie… man, Charlie," Danny shook his head. "And I know I'm crazy for even considering it now, but when Grace got into her accident… I don't know, it's like the last 12 years never happened, you know? I was with her at the hospital taking care of Grace and then Grace came home, and it was just easier to be together more to help her recuperate, and sometimes Rachel would bring Charlie with her…" Danny fumbled his bottle but caught it between his legs. "And then the hurricane happened, and we fell asleep on the couch. We woke up and Charlie was eating breakfast and watching cartoons, like it was the most normal thing ever. And it felt like it was." He swallowed.

"It was all I'd ever wanted, really, from the time everything broke down."

Steve fought to speak around the lump in his throat. "Your family back."

"Yea." Danny shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I am though… you know. I am sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't…"

The sentence hung there between them until Steve finished it, as they so often did with each other. "You thought I'd disapprove."

"Don't you?" Danny lifted a brow and looked over at his partner. "Because I don't blame you if you do, Steve; I know what she's done, believe me. I know better than anybody."

"I – Danny, I…" Steve's fingers slid through his hair. "I don't want you to get hurt again, okay? I remember what you were like when you first came here. I remember what you went through, the Hell she put you through with Grace and with Charlie, _especially_ Charlie. And I guess you both have tried so many times and each time it hasn't worked, and things just got worse between you two. I don't want that for you, Danno. And I don't want it for the kids, either." He studied the man beside him who was looking back at him with so much understanding and kindness that it made Steve feel even more like a heel. He was supposed to be supportive of Danny in this, no matter what, but…but…

But.

"The thing is, babe," Danny spoke but it sounded more like a raspy croak, "when everything happened with Rachel, it was all her decision. She called the shots, all of them; from leaving and marrying Stan to leaving me and going back to him… I never got to decide, you know? I've carried this around with me for years, wondering if I would've made the same decision about us as she did." Danny plucked the bottle from between his legs and set it on the table, hands migrating to clasp together once they were free. "Even in the moments that I hated her, I still loved her. I'm always going to care about her and in some weird, crazy way that I don't even pretend to understand, I'm always going to love her too. And things feel good right now, between us. We're different, me and her. The kids are happy. I have to give this a try, Steve; I have to. I have to know, once and for all, when I'm in a position to actually make the decision, if this can work." He pursed his lips and eyed his best friend, pleading with his eyes.

Steve couldn't deny Danny anything when he had that look in his eyes. To be completely honest, Steve couldn't think of anything really that he could deny his partner ever. "I get it, Danny. I understand."

"Yea?"

"Yea," Steve nodded and cleared his throat. "I can't say that I won't still have my concerns, Danny but…if this is what you want, then I'm behind you. One hundred percent, always, no matter what happens."

Danny took a deep breath and Steve could practically see the burden rolling off his partner's shoulders in lush, full waves. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for lying to you about…" he waved a hand in front of his face and Steve chuckled. He could decipher Danny's hand gestures as easily as he could understand the English language by now. "S'okay."

"I just… I knew that if I came to you before now, before then, I'd have probably let you talk me out of moving any further with this and as crazy and ludicrous as it sounds, I need to figure this one out on my own. I need to make the decision and know that I made it because of what I think and how I'm feeling and not because anyone else convinced me one way or the other."

"I get, Danny. I promise, I do."

"Alright," Danny looked over at Steve. "Tired?"

"I could sleep."

"You'll have to bunk with me. I gave Khalid the bedroom, so we get the pull-out couch."

Steve grinned. "Your home away from home, eh?"

"Shut up," But Danny said it with a chuckle as he stood and gathered up the dishes and carried them all back into the hotel room, and it was a good thing too, as Steve felt the first drip-drop-drips of rain drizzle down on his arm. He followed behind with the beer bottles and dumped them on the room service tray.

Once Danny had slid the tray outside into the hallway for the hotel staff to pick up, he hopped into the bathroom to get ready for bed while Steve unfolded the sofa and laid out the sheets and pillows, the pitter patter of the rain outside creating a peaceful lullaby. It wasn't long before both men were under the sheets and making themselves comfortable, Danny taking a moment before hopping into bed to make sure the door to the bedroom suite was open, all the better to hear Khalid if he woke in the middle of the night.

"Are you planning on waking up at freakish-o'clock in the morning to commune with the ocean gods by chance or can I set my alarm for an hour more appropriate for a Sunday morning?"

"Danny, you think anything before 11:00 on a Sunday morning is worthy of the death penalty."

"Yes, but," Danny rolled on his back, phone in hand, "with the kid in there he's probably going to be up early, just not as early as you. In light of that very likely eventuality, I would like for you to confirm that you will, in fact, not force me to join the land of the conscious until our pint sized house guest has done so, and that means you do not get up early and leave the hotel room."

"…but what if I'm really quiet and stealthy when I get up and leave?"

"Steven," Danny's head flopped to the left to fix the man next to him with a knowing eye, "when have I ever slept through your morning routine?"

"Fine," Steve grumbled and rolled over to cut the lamp light off, Danny mimicking his movements on his own side of the bed. Steve couldn't help a, "good night, dear," and smothered a laugh into his arm when Danny smacked him over the head with his pillow.

It wasn't long before two guys and a kid were all sleeping soundly.

**Hawaii Five-0**

" _Jerry's woken up a few times. He's been able to communicate with the docs, he's had a few sips of water. He doesn't stay conscious for very long, but Dr. James said that's to be expected_."

Steve leaned over the computer table. "That's good news. HPD change shifts yet?"

" _In a half hour. I told Mrs. Ortega I'd take her back to her place to shower, get some sleep if she needed_."

"Alright, whatever she wants, Adam. Stay with her."

" _I will. Let me know what happens with our guests_."

"Will do." Steve cut the call and rolled his neck before letting it settle so he was looking at Tani. "How are Lou and Junior doing with Aswad?"

"Oh, they're getting quite a bit out of him as a matter of fact." At Steve's look of interest, Tani lifted a hand and allowed her fingers to fly over the keyboard of the computer. "About two months ago, Aswad says that Al Omar approached him for a job. Initially, Aswad refused; he didn't know the guy and, shocker of shockers, he thought it was weird that some stranger was asking him to perform the highly illegal task impersonating a police officer."

"So, Al Omar offered him money?"

"Nope. As you know, Rashid Aswad is in the U.S. illegally. All Al Omar had to do was threaten to alert ICE, or, Aswad could find it in his heart to help Naheel out not only with the switch-a-roo, but with a place to crash before, until, and after the job was done." Tani shrugged. "Al Omar chose well. On top of being undocumented, Aswad has a pretty long list of priors ranging from DUI to robbery to assault and battery and that's between the U.S. and Pakistan. With that kind of history, it's understandable why he didn't want to involve the cops."

"So that's why we found Naheel at the house," Steve nodded his head. "That's where he was camping out."

"Yep," Tani popped the 'p' as her fingers flew across the keyboard. "It was actually a pretty good idea since no one from Hassan's team has any connections to Aswad, Aswad would've never been on our radar – in fact, he'd have been doing everything he could to stay off of it. We would've never made the connection and Al Omar knew it. Rashid said they'd scoped out the camera angles for weeks to avoid a shot of his entire face being taken; they weren't counting on us being able to piece together different slices of footage to create a sample the software could viably scan and match up to the mug shots he'd had taken every time he'd been caught ."

"We can thank Chin for that one," Steve felt the knot in his stomach ease as he thought back to a case years ago where Chin had manipulated the facial rec software to match frames from different cameras to recreate a person's facial structure. "Well, this makes me feel a little better; at least there's an explanation for why it we found Al Omar so easily."

"Aswad started singing like a bird once Lou told him if he didn't help, we'd just put him back out on the street for Hassan's crew to find him and deal with him as they saw fit." Tani grinned and Steve was vaguely reminded of a distinctly pleased panther who'd spotted its next meal.

"Alright, good work, Tani. Did Warden Grier get back to us yet?"

"Yea, he said Halawa will transport Hassan to the courthouse at 8:00am and they'll keep her in one of the basement offices. Khalid can have a few minutes with her there." Steve's expression was pure gratitude and Tani tilted her head to the side. "It's… a risk, but I think it's a risk worth taking. It's nice that you're doing this for him, McGarrett."

"Yea, well. He won't be seeing her for a long time, so." He cleared his throat, not going any further with that commentary. Doing so would only make him travel further down memory lane and that wasn't what anyone needed with everything that was currently going on around them. "I'm gonna go call Danny and let him know, then head over to Tripler and see how Jerry's doing." With a wave from Tani, Steve headed for the elevators and caught Lou and Junior coming up, each man exchanging a few words before Steve's form disappeared behind the doors and the other two entered the bullpen.

"Steve said Jerry's woken up a couple of times?" Lou stood on one side of the table, watching as Junior smoothly came up alongside Tani and resisting the urge to let lose an obnoxious, 'awwww'. Ever since the wedding, he'd noticed the two junior members making what Lou was sure they considered subtle moves – always standing next to each other at the table or offering to go and pick up lunch for the team – to be near each other or spend some extra time alone together. And, he had it on good authority that Junior was spending a little more time away from Casa de McGarrett lately.

It was sweetly nauseating for a cynic such as Lou to witness.

"Yea, he's on his way over to Tripler to check on him and see if he's awake. Adam's still over there." Tani's hand slid quickly over the table and one by one, various faces began showing up on the monitor. Junior watched until about eight individuals were displayed prominently. "Who are these guys?"

"These are eight of Omar Hassan's most trusted lieutenants. Some are cousins of his, others are employees he's had for a long time. Each one of them has ready access to Hassan's bank accounts."

"But those have been frozen," Lou pointed out.

"They have. But they each have their own accounts as well that haven't been touched."

"How do you know?

"There are home and property purchases that don't line up with any of Hassan's bank records; also car purchases, travel, things like that. When we cross referenced those purchases with the holdings of Hassan's crew, these are the eight that were pinged."

"Nice work," and Lou was suitably impressed. He knew some investigators during his time in Chicago and in HPD SWAT who would've stopped gathering information after they'd caught and interrogated their suspects, especially with the information Aswad had dumped in their laps and called it a case. "So, you think these are the ones we need to watch?"

"With Omar and Azra out of the picture, these are the ones that can order or carry out any operation in their absence," Tani confirmed. "They have the rank, the funds, they've been implicated in other deals and operations in the past."

"I know the Commander was worried that last night went a little smoother than expected. No harm in being prepared," Junior gave Tani an admiring look and Lou could practically feel the puppy dog love radiating in the common area.

"Okay you two, please… please go do your work anywhere else but here."

Lou watched as Tani grinned and pushed off of the table, not surprised at all to find Junior hot on her heels, and soon he was left in the office with nothing but eight faces belonging to an international terrorist family staring back at him before heading to his office.

"Lord, please give me a Sunday one day soon where I'm not dealing with homicidal maniacs or love-struck co-workers…"

**Hawaii Five-0**

Monday morning saw Steve standing in the under-ground sally port of the courthouse with Lou and Adam at his back as a two non-descript, four door sedans pulled into the parking lot. The second car stopped right in front of Steve and he stepped forward, opening the door for Danny who got out and encouraged Khalid to follow him. Danny placed a reassuring hand on Khalid's shoulder as he motioned for the boy to walk in front of him. "Everything okay?" He murmured quietly as Steve fell into place beside him, Lou and Adam at his heels.

"So far so good. She's waiting inside; Tani and Junior are with her."

The group crowded into an elevator and took the slow, quiet ride up one floor into the basement of the building and filed out into an industrially lit hallway, the kind tinged in a bit of sickly green which told the story of a rarely used portion of the grand building above. Halfway down the corridor, Junior and Tani were waiting. "She's inside," Junior greeted Steve quietly, stepping aside so that the other man could enter the room. Steve waved Danny off to the side and the detective took the boy along with him, instinctively knowing that Steve wanted a few moments to gauge Azra's state of mind.

When Steve had last seen Azra, she'd been dressed in fashionable, name brand clothing, carrying a popular and expensive purse. Her makeup had been impeccably applied, hair professionally styled, and when her perfume had wafted under his nose, Steve had been able to scent lilac surrounding her figure. The woman who looked back at him now was a five-foot eight-inch figure of hate and anger wrapped in jail house orange. There was no sweet-smelling perfume or perfectly applied mascara; Azra Hassan had looked quite glamorous three days ago. Now she looked like any other inmate with a jacket number, though Steve didn't miss the regal air she carried as she stood up from her steel seat, ignoring the Halawa prison guards and HPD officers assigned to her. She regarded Steve as if he were a disease, and when she spoke, her voice was filled with contempt and vitriol. "How is your friend?"

"He'll make a full recovery, thanks for asking." Steve folded his arms over his chest, pushing away his own irritation at the question. He wasn't here for himself.

"You must forgive me; I had only one bullet, otherwise I'd have been happy to put you beside him."

"You and a lot of other people, lady." He canted his head to the side a bit, sizing her up. "You don't want to ask about your kid, ask how he is or anything?"

"By now, Khalid has been safely spirited away by those who will care for him until he comes of age, Commander McGarrett; do not attempt to manipulate me by using my son."

Steve smirked, stepping back towards the door. "Yea, about that…" He popped his head out of the door and motioned for Danny to walk Khalid over to him. He knew the second Azra saw her son, heard her sharp intake of breath, looked over to see her utterly shocked expression, mixed with just a tinge of defeat. Steve gripped Khalid's shoulder gently, keeping him by his side just for a moment.

"You speak loud enough that we can hear you and you speak nothing but English. These officers," Steve pointed to every law enforcement officer in their vicinity, "they weren't picked for their good looks. Between all of us, we speak more than a few languages. You say anything that sounds even remotely like something other than English, I take Khalid out of the room." Steve waited until he received a somewhat jerky head nod of affirmation from Azra before he nudged Khalid forward. The boy sprinted away from Steve and right into his mother's arms and Steve could hear him crying quietly into Azra's neck.

For the next 15 minutes almost, Steve nearly managed to convince himself that he was watching something touching, a reunion just like any other between a mother and her child, but when he felt a nudge against his arm, he looked over at Danny who was pointing to his watch.

Right. The arraignment.

Steve took a few steps forward and caught Azra's eyes. For a moment, just a second, he thought that she was going to make this difficult, but at the last second, he watched her plant a long kiss on Khalid's head before standing and looking down at him. "Everything _baba_ and I did was for you, Khalid, _abnay alhabib_. No matter what these people say, no matter what anyone ever tries to make you think, everything I ever did was for you."

Steve nodded at the officer standing behind Azra, and the man lifted a hand, placing it on her shoulder and tugging her gently back, mindful that there was an innocent five-year-old watching how his mother was being treated by these men. Steve stepped forward and bent down, reaching for Khalid's hand. "Your mom has a meeting that she has to go to, so we're gonna go and let her do that, okay?"

"Wanna stay," Khalid's bottom lip trembled, reaching out a little arm for his mother, and God, Steve knew how that felt, to just want nothing more than to stay with your mother.

"I know, kid. I know you want to stay. But she's got to see someone really important. Someone's got to talk to her about something really important and we don't want her to be late for that. So, we're gonna let her go and…," Danny was going to kill him for this, Steve was sure, but he couldn't help it, "and maybe you can see her again sometime soon, alright?"

He was careful to angle his body a bit while Azra was removed from the room, keeping Khalid's attention on him the entire time until Adam and Lou nodded that the hallway was clear. Danny moved forward and crouched in front of Khalid, next to Steve. "I know you didn't feel much like eating earlier this morning, buddy, but why don't we go get some breakfast and I'll take you around the beach. Does that sound okay?"

Khalid didn't really answer one way or another, but he leaned a bit towards Danny and Danny took that as being as much of an affirmative as he was going to get. "I'll take him for the day, but I've got Charlie tonight," he murmured, walking out of the room and back down the hall towards the sally port.

"Social Services should have something for us by noon, so that won't be a problem," Steve rubbed his head. "Look, I gotta meet with Ellie after she's done with the arraignment, but check in a little later, okay?

"You think we're out of the woods?" Lou came alongside him, Adam, Junior, and Tani pulling up the rear. The latter tilted her head. "I don't know. Azra seemed genuinely surprised to see Khalid when he went into the room. She's a wife bent on revenge, not an Oscar winning actress."

"Yea, but just because Azra was surprised doesn't mean Khalid's safe from Hassan's people," Junior pointed out. "There's a power vacuum now in that structure. With Omar and Azra Hassan out of the picture, someone's going to pick up the reigns; they're not just going to retreat, especially if there are members of the Hassan family in that cell."

"Is that what we're dealing with? A terrorist cell?" Adam asked.

"Probably not within Omar or Azra's immediate circle, but Hassan's father was the leader of a terrorist cell that my old team took out," Steve reminded all of them. "Omar Hassan may not be the leader of a terrorist cell as we would traditionally think of it, but rest assured he still has connections to the more illegitimate sides of his family."

"Alright, so we start building on the list Tani came up with, expand our search for anyone connected to Omar Hassan and keep tabs on them," Lou stuffed his hands in his pockets. "We can get up with our contacts in the FBI and Interpol, tell them to send us an alert when anyone of those punk asses so much as moves across the street."

"Language," Danny admonished, folding his hands over Khalid's ears.

"Okay then, I'm going to my meeting. I'll see the rest if you guys back at headquarters, and you," Steve pointed at Danny, "call me in a few hours, okay Captain America?"

**Hawaii Five-0**

"So, we may have a bit of a problem," Adam popped his head into Steve's office just before noon. "I just got off the phone with Social Services; they don't have any foster parents available to take Khalid until next month at the earliest."

Steve linked, as if Adam had just spoken an alien language. "What do you mean they don't have any foster parents available?"

"They said that all of the fosters they have already have children placed with them and they can't take anymore. They can make space for him in one of the public homes for kids, but…" Adam trailed off as he saw Steve's… less than unpleasant expression. "I didn't figure you'd be in favor of that."

"Not at all," Steve leaned back in his seat and scrubbed his hands with his eyes. "You said sometime next month?"

"At the earliest," Adam nodded.

Steve sighed. It was always something, it seemed. And Danny wouldn't be able to stay with Khalid forever. "Alright, we'll figure something out. Thanks Adam."

As Adam let the door close quietly behind him, Steve drummed his fingers on his desk, allowing his thoughts to wander until his phone buzzed in his pocket. Digging it out and seeing that it was Danny, he answered immediately. "How's Khalid?"

" _He's napping at the moment_."

"He's asleep? That kid sleeps a lot."

" _Well he's had a pretty eventful 72 hours, and he didn't sleep much that first night, then he had a big morning today_ ," Danny cleared his throat. " _He ate breakfast though, and he liked the beach, that seemed to get his mind off things for a bit_."

"So, I need you to do something for me."

"… _is this a normal something or a crazy something_?"

"It's a normal-crazy something. For me, at any rate." Steve sat up a bit straighter in his char. "Social Services can't take Khalid for a few more weeks. I mean, they could put him in one of their homes for kids, but… I'd rather he be placed with a single family rather than with a bunch of kids and adults he doesn't know."

"… _uh-huh_ …"

"So, I was wondering if you could come by HQ, pick up my credit card, and do some shopping for him? Get him some clothes, a toothbrush, toothpaste, maybe help him pick out some sheets for a twin bed…" Steve bit his lip, hearing silence on the other end of the line. "Danny?"

" _What exactly are you planning here, babe_?"

"I'm just going to keep him for a few weeks, Danny; a month at the most until Social Services can find a foster family to take him."

" _Keep him? Okay, you realize this is not a puppy, Steve, right? This is not a little friend for Eddie or Mr. Pickles. He's a little human person with needs and expectations, and what he's going to expect when you take him into your home is to stay with you, alright? Taking him in and then turning him over to another family is only going to cause him more trauma at this point_."

"Then what do you suggest, Danny?" Steve's voice may have been slightly louder than it needed to be, if the sudden and what must have been slightly painful twists of the necks of his team turning towards his office were any indication. "It's either this, or stick him in a home where resources are stretched thin because of the amount of kids there, with a bunch of people who don't know him and who would be indifferent to his situation because every other kid that's there has their own problems. So, what do you want me to do?"

"Look," he lowered his voice, taking a deep breath, "remember when Mary adopted Joanie?"

" _I have a feeling I'm not going to enjoy this_."

"In the beginning, I wasn't for it at all, and I wanted Mary to give Joanie back because I thought she wasn't ready to be a mom and I asked you whose side you were on. You told me that you were on the side where the kid gets loved, gets everything they need to be happy and healthy."

" _I don't appreciate you using my own words against me_ ," Danny grumbled. " _Steve, are you thinking of actually adopting Khalid_?"

No, but… "No, but that doesn't mean that I can't do what I can to make his life as smooth as I can from here on out until we can find a more permanent place for him." Steve could hear Danny moving around, opening and shutting what sounded like the mini fridge, and then a long sound of sliding metal, which Steve assumed meant Danny was heading out to the patio of the hotel room. "Danny, please?"

" _Alright, fine. I'll let Khalid sleep for a little more and then we'll swing by_."

"Thanks, Danno."

" _Just make sure you have the card ready and that I don't have to pry it from your fingers, okay? I need to pick up Charlie tonight, don't forget_."

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Hey, look who's here," Danny poked Khalid in the arm and pointed towards the front door of Steve's house from their vantage point on the sofa, the owner of said house giving both of them a smile tinged with just a hint, Danny could tell, of nervousness. Khalid shifted onto both knees, his little hands using Danny's leg as a prop as he looked curiously at Steve while Eddie lifted his head in interest from the couch. The man gave him an awkward wave back.

"Oh, this is great," Danny snickered, gently nudging Khalid back on the couch as he stood up. "I'm gonna go take Uncle Steve into the kitchen and teach him how to cook that dinner you said you wanted, and then after I leave, I want you to show Steve all the really cool, really expensive stuff we bought today, okay?" He gestured towards the TV, an episode of the original _Johnny Quest_ playing on Netflix. "This is a good episode, really good; you stick here with Eddie and we'll be back very soon, alright?"

"Okay, Da'nee."

Danny tucked the remote to the TV into Khalid's lap before taking Steve by the elbow and leading him into the kitchen. "You look like you'd rather disarm a nuclear bomb than spend a night with this kid," Danny chuckled, clearly enjoying the panicked vibrations he was picking up from his partner.

"What did you buy?"

"What you said to; clothes, toiletries, a couple of toys that he took a shine to," Danny ticked off each item on his finger, "bed linens too, a couple of different kinds – ah, there it is: Aneurysm Face! I've missed that face, babe. I haven't seen it in a few weeks."

"How much did you spend?! And how many sets of sheets does one kid need?"

"Oh, you have no idea," Danny was clearly enjoying himself as he headed for the freezer and tugged out a Kid's Cuisine microwave meal. "Sometimes they wet the bed, they can vomit, and the sheets should be changed once a week anyways, so it's better to be prepared, you know? Now," He held the box up right in front of Steve's pinched face. "I am not normally a fan of these, but this kid has had a rough couple of days and he's probably never even had one before, and every kid should experience the fun that is processed chicken nuggets and mac & cheese, so," he pushed dropped the box, knowing Steve would catch it, and pointed at the microwave. "Follow the instructions on the back, make sure you let it cool off for at least five minutes before you give it to him, and _you_ , my friend, not the child, control the ketchup. Got it?"

All Steve could do was nod dumbly at Danny as his partner skated his way out of the kitchen. He could hear Danny saying goodbye to Khalid and then the front door opening and slamming shut, leaving only the gentle swell of the waves outside and theme music which was obviously from the 1960's coming from the living room. Holding the Kid's Cuisine meal in front of him as if it were a shield, Steve padded into the living room to observe the little bundle of human currently curled up against Eddie, both occupying his lumpy brown sofa. Just when Steve was about to shove his hand into his pocket for his phone and call Danny and beg him to come back (he wasn't above it), Khalid looked up at him, remote in hand.

"Wanna watch?"

And, okay, that didn't seem so bad. Steve hadn't really ever been a fan of _Johnny Quest_ , but Khalid seemed to be enjoying it and that was truly all that mattered. It was about five minutes later when Steve realized he was still holding the TV dinner in his lap, and he looked over at Khalid. "You pick this out, huh?"

"Da'nee said every kid should have chicken nuggets," Khalid sagely advised, and really, who was Steve to argue against what Da'nee said?

Dinner was a fairly simple affair. Steve grilled some chicken and roasted vegetables for himself, making sure to grill three chicken breasts as he was bound and determined that Khalid was going to have something other than preservatives for dinner, and in doing so, he found that anything, apparently, could be made better by ketchup. Steve was quite pleased to see Khalid disregard the tasteless nuggets for the bit of leaner chicken, even if it was covered in Heinze, and even if Khalid still insisted on eating the mac & cheese. Well, at least the MRE – er, ready-to-eat microwave dinner – included corn. All in all, for their first dinner together, Steve considered it a success.

Which should've been his first clue that perhaps the rest of the night wasn't going to go quite as smoothly.

As it turned out, Khalid wasn't a fan of bed time, and to get him to brush his teeth, Steve had to resort to literally getting on his knees with Khalid and brushing his teeth at the same time after ten minutes of trying to coax the boy to do it on his own. Finally, when that was done, getting Khalid into bed and staying there proved to be more complicated than some of Steve's early SEAL missions. The first attempt wound up with Khalid creeping down the stairs and sitting on the bottom step until Steve heard Eddie's tail thumping rather loudly against the wood floor and looked up from his paperwork to notice him. "Everything okay?"

"Dark," he sniffled, and of course; the night light. Junior had told him about that the night everything had gone down, why hadn't Steve remembered that? Lucky for him, Danny had, and after Khalid told him that, yes, Danny had purchased a night light earlier in the day (a Captain America night light, wasn't that just special), Steve rifled through a series of bags, found a plastic Steve Rogers holding his shield behind which the light bulb was located, and plugged it in. For the second time that night, Steve left, what would be for the next few weeks at least, Khalid's room and padded back down the stairs to his father's study and returned to the file he'd been thumbing through.

20 minutes later, he felt eyes on him from the stairs and heard a happy tail thumping again, and sure enough, there sat Khalid, huddled on the first step with his back against the wall and arms around his legs, eyes blinking just over the tops of his knees. Steve had a flashback of when he was about Khalid's age, when sometimes, he'd sneak out of bed to watch his father in his study, just like Khalid was watching him now. Often times John McGarrett, exasperated, would hustle his curious son back off to bed with explicit instructions to go to sleep and not get up again.

"Alright, buddy, come here," Steve walked over to Khalid and picked him up, carrying him back over to the desk and sitting down, leaning back and letting the kid get comfortable in his lap before he picked up the file folder and began reading again.

Ten minutes later, face smooshed in Steve's chest and back steadily expanding with each deep breath, Khalid was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Abnay Alhabib_ – My beloved son (Arabic)
> 
> _Baba_ – Father (Arabic)
> 
> *Mops up the fluffy goo from the last line of the chapter*


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve was more than willing to stay right there on the couch for at least a little while longer, and when he felt his phone vibrating against his leg, he took great pains not to jostle Khalid too much as he answered it.
> 
> “Danny.”
> 
> “… _why are you whispering_?”
> 
> “Khalid fell asleep on me.”
> 
> “ _Why don’t you put him in his bed_?”
> 
> “Danny, you have no idea what I’ve been through in the last hour.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Still cleaning up adorable fluff goo off of the floor from the last chapter*

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Man, did you get any shut eye last night?" Lou held out a cup of coffee for Steve, who took it and several sips gratefully as he entered the bullpen after getting Khalid settled in his office. "You're not bringing him to work with you all week, are you?"

"Hopefully not. I've got Junior going through resumes for daytime sitters and caregivers. Once he finds three for the short list, we can interview them, narrow the choices down to one and by next Wednesday, Khalid should be able to either stay at my place or I can drop him off – what, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Steve, you really think it's only going to take you the rest of this week to find a full-time sitter for Khalid until Social Services can take him?" Lou was shaking his head, partially in disbelief, partially in amazement at the other man's naivety; clearly, his boss was a guy who had never had to navigate the pains and horrors that were finding quality childcare. "Look, you're going to find more duds than actual, legitimate choices before you narrow down your final group. Why don't you work with Junior, go through the resumes, do your background checks, make sure whoever you choose is CPR certified, First-Aid certified, all that good stuff, and while you're doing that, Will can watch Khalid over at our house or your house until you find someone."

"You really think Will would want to babysit Khalid all day?"

"Please, that boy hasn't found a full-time summer job yet, he needs something to do with his days. Renee's about to toss him on his ass in the yard and not let him back in the house until he finds something. Seems like he thinks he can just spend his days with Miss. Grace Williams and that'll be enough to satisfy his mother."

"Well, Will could be choosing to spend his time with ladies far less deserving," Steve lifted his coffee mug in thanks. "Tell Will I'll pay him $500.00 a week and leave him money to spend so he doesn't have to spend it on lunch and stuff for Khalid."

"I'll do that; hey," Lou lowered his voice, "why don't you ask Rachel if she has any suggestions?"

"Rachel… Rachel uh…" Steve couldn't call her 'Danny's Rachel' quite yet, so he meekly pointed in the direction of his partner's office. "That Rachel?"

"Well, she has to have someone watching Charlie during the day while she and Danny are at work, right?"

Steve winced. Lou caught it. He lowered his voice just a bit. "You have your own doubts about that little situation, I take it?"

"I…" Steve rubbed his jaw, scratching at stubble that he didn't bother to shave that morning. Getting Khalid ready and out the door had taken precedence over vanity grooming. He frowned. "Wait, how do you even know about it?"

"You remember Grace is dating my son, right? And by the way, you should tell your boy that his daughter isn't as blind to what's going on between him and Rachel as he would hope she is."

Oh. Yes. That made sense. Steve heaved a resigned sigh. "It's what he wants, Lou. I gotta support him."

And Lou, bless him, didn't push the matter. "Well. Ask Danny. See if he'll ask Rachel if she knows of anyone. The best sitters come from friends and family who've used them before."

"I will. Thanks, Lou."

"No problem. Any word on Jerry?"

"I talked to Mrs. Ortega on the way in. She said he was awake earlier this morning when they moved him over into the step-down unit. He can receive a few visitors at a time, so I figured I'd head over there in a bit if you want to come with? Junior and Tani said they were going to go over after work."

"Yea, right before they go to dinner," Lou not so casually glanced at Tani and Junior's offices where each one was either looking through files or on their laptops. "You think maybe you want to talk to Junior man to man at home sometime soon about what's brewing with them?"

"Why, are they having problems?"

"Are they – Steve, man, are you blind?" Lou out right laughed at him as Danny walked into the bullpen. "Those two have the worst case of the birds and the bees I've ever seen; they're worse than Grace and Will, and those two are actually teenagers."

"Who are actually teenagers?" Danny, without so much as a hint of shame, plucked Steve's coffee cup from his hand and took a sip, leaving the man sputtering in the wake of stolen Kona, a capital offense if there ever was one in Hawaii. Lou didn't even blink. "Junior and Tani."

"They're finally making it official?"

"Making _what_ official?!" Steve grabbed his coffee back from Danny and glared between his partner and Lou, who only rolled his eyes.

"I thought SEALs were supposed to have perfect vision."

"He's a senior SEAL now," Danny quipped.

"I'm working off of four hours of sleep because a kid slept on me half of the night. If neither of you tell me what you're talking about in the next five seconds, I'm calling Duke and telling him that you two volunteered for traffic duty." Steve glared between Danny and Lou.

"They've always flirted with each other, but ever since they went to that wedding together, Junior and Tani are spending a little more time one on one outside of the office than usual," Lou shrugged. "I'm just saying, it might be worth talking to them about. Office romances are bad enough, but in our business, people can get hurt."

Steve very nearly choked on his coffee and he briefly considered handing it back over to Danny – or chugging more to get out of the conversation. "I've got a five-year-old in my house for the next month, I need to enlist Junior to help me search for a full-time nanny, and you want me to talk to him about his love life?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me; you both speak SEAL," Danny absconded Steve's coffee cup again and took a sip. "You take Junior. Lou, you can take Tani."

"Would you give me that!" Exasperated, Steve put several feet between himself and Danny by standing on the other side of the computer table while Lou protested the charge Danny had given him. "Why's it gotta be me that talks to her?!"

"Well, I'd do it, but I think she needs to hear it more from a father figure than a brother type, and that's what me and Adam are to her. She looks up to you, Lou, and not just like an uncle. She'll hear it better coming from you than coming from anybody else. Besides," Danny's phone went off and he dug into his pocket to fish it out, "Adam's dating a Yakuza princess these days so he may not be the best person to give advice on complicated relationships; I gotta take this." And as quickly as Danny blew into the conversation was as quickly as he swept out, heading back over to his office with his phone to his ear. Steve and Lou watched him go; the latter shook his head.

"Speaking of complicated relationships."

"Yea," Steve cut him off. "You coming to the hospital with me?"

After making sure Danny could stick around HQ to man things and watch Khalid, Steve and Lou took the 15-minute drive to Tripler and filled the cabin of Steve's truck with talk of football, baseball, and when Will would start watching Khalid, until they reached the hospital. They caught Jerry's mother who looked up at them with grateful if tired eyes and stood up. "He's been awake for a few minutes, just as happy as he can be-

"Hellooooooo!"

"See?" But there was laughter now in Mrs. Ortega's eyes, and Steve and Lou were glad for it. "Thank you again for everything you've done for him, for the HPD officers… just everything."

"Of course, ma'am; Jerry's part of our ohana, which means you are too," Steve stole a glance at his wounded comrade, taking a few steps further into the suite. "Mrs. Ortega, would you like to go get something to eat, or go home to get a shower? Lou and I will stay with Jerry until you get back if you want a few hours to rest or check on your house?" He looked at Lou to confirm, who offered a ready nod of support. After saying she'd probably go down to the cafeteria to get a quick breakfast, they were left in the room with Jerry giving them a welcoming (if slightly manic looking) smile.

"Oh boy," Lou stole a glance at Steve as they came along their friend's bedside. It was clear to anyone who gave even a cursory glance in Jerry's direction that the man was as high as a kite. "He's doing impressions from _Mrs. Doubtfire_." At Steve's confused look, Lou elaborated. "You know that part where the social worker comes into Robin Williams' apartment, and to pass himself off as Mrs. Doubtfire, he sticks his head in a cream cake to act like he's got a night mask on so she doesn't recognize him?"

Steve's face quickly morphed into Confused Puppy Face, and Lou rolled his eyes. "You takin' care of a kid now, you'll watch it eventually. Jerry, they're giving you the good stuff, yea?"

"You bet," Jerry smiled just as sunnily as he pleased. Even his beard seemed jubilant. "X-files is on soon, too!"

Steve had to smile; it was as if Jerry hadn't yet realized how close to death he'd come, and Steve was more than happy to keep that knowledge at bay for a little while longer. "Everyone says 'hi', Jerry. They'll come by throughout the day if that's okay with you?"

"Ohhh yeeaaa… that's great, they can watch Mulder and Scully with me. Hey… hey, Steve."

McGarrett arched a brow.

"How's he? Short stuff? Short stop…? What's his name again?"

Lou dug out his cellphone and hit the record button, a big grin on his face while he did. Steve, distracted momentarily by the smartphone coming out, cleared his throat. "Khalid. And he's doing fine. We got things straight with Azra Hassan. We found the guy who impersonated the lobby officer, found the man Azra had waiting to take Khalid back… we're pretty sure it's over."

"That's good. That's real good… don't think that's his name though…"

"I'm pretty sure the kid's name is Khalid, Jer," Steve hid a grin behind his hand, looking over at Lou and shaking his head; it would be a good laugh later for sure, but right now, Steve was feeling just a bit guilty at letting Lou continue to roll.

"No… not the actual kid, the short… he's loud…."

Steve could hear Lou choking with barely concealed laughter as it dawned on him who Jerry was talking about. Danny could never see this video, that much was certain, otherwise Jerry might not make it out of the hospital alive. "Danny's fine. I'll tell him you asked about him… he's uh, he's been busy helping me with Khalid."

"Awww… that's sweet." A loopy grin spread on Jerry's face and if Steve weren't positive that facial muscle could only stretch but so far, he was sure that the grin would've continued far past what Jerry's jaw and cheeks would allow. "Dads and kids all together." He blinked lazily at Steve.

"…aaaand that's a wrap," Lou stopped recording and shoved the phone back into his pocket with a 'the boy's completely gone' look directed at Steve. "So, Jerry, what can we bring you to eat, huh? Even Taco Bell's gotta be better than what they're giving you."

**Hawaii Five-0**

The week wore on. Khalid went to work with Steve on Tuesday, and that evening, Will dropped by Steve's place to meet him. After having dinner with Steve, Will and Khalid stole out into the backyard and an hour later when they came back inside covered in sand, Steve was feeling a little better about leaving Khalid in Will's care for the next day. Giving Will a panic button that connected directly to Five-0's security system and installing a tracking app on his phone that Will agreed to have activated at all times while he was watching Khalid might have helped too.

"It'll be fine, Commander McGarrett; he's a cool little kid. You don't mind if I take him to Kamekona's or to the zoo or something like that, right? Maybe with Grace too?" And Steve was so grateful to Lou and Renee in that moment for warning him that their son, responsible and wonderful as he was, would try to slide Grace in sometimes and explaining to him why that might not be the best idea.

"Let's try a little while just you and Khalid. If things go okay, maybe Grace can come over for a few hours so long as you guys stay at the house. As long as things stay quiet for a little while, then we can talk about the zoo and other places."

That seemed good enough for Will, and after promising to be back the next morning at 7:30 on the dot, he was out the door and Steve was bundling Khalid in his arms and marching him upstairs for a bath, which thankfully was a much easier affair than it had been the previous night. Finally, Steve, Junior, and Khalid were powering down in the living room and Khalid was playing with a first responder vehicle and figurine set that Danny – _Steve_ – had purchased while Junior sat on the floor playing alongside him and Steve lounged on the couch with his phone.

"Was Jerry awake when you and Tani went over?"

"He was awake when we got there, but he fell asleep after about 20 minutes," Junior shrugged. "We told him Adam and Danny would come by tomorrow to see him. He seemed okay, kind of happy, even."

"Yea, he was a bundle of joy when Lou and I were there earlier today," Steve leaned forward, putting his cell phone on the table. "Did you and Tani find any other family members today?"

"A few more cousins," Junior confirmed. "We're working on finding more, putting together profiles for everyone."

"Good," Steve rubbed his hands together. "Good. Um."

"…Something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong, I'm just," Steve cleared his throat, "look, you know how it was when we were in the military, and even before that with…." He rolled his hand a few times.

"With…?"

"…Fraternization…"

Junior gulped bashfully, suddenly becoming much more interested in the fire truck he was pushing around on the floor. "Oh."

"Yea… I'm – look, this is obviously very uncomfortable to talk about, but I just want you both to be sure that you know what you're doing, and that if something happens in the field that you can both deal with it." Steve fidgeted on the couch a bit. "I know you're having issues with your father, and Tani's dad passed away, Koa's doing his thing in recovery – you guys are leaning on each other a lot, spending a lot of time together, you know? And really, I don't think Tani could find a better man than you. I just, you know…"

"I get it, Sir."

"Steve," McGarrett groaned, "come on, at least in the house, Junior."

"Sorry; kind of slipped out since we're talking about work and stuff."

Steve inched forward a bit more on the couch. "Look. I'm not going to tell you to not go forward with this, or to stop, okay? I would be a giant hypocrite if I did since me and Cath worked together for so long. I just want to make sure that if something happens – if you and Tani start this and it goes south or if something happens in the field and one of you gets hurt or worse – that you both will be okay."

"We haven't done much, honestly. She asked me to go with her to that wedding and it was… it was nice," Junior smiled softly. "But she's not ready for more than that yet. I respect that. I have to let her come to me, and that's fine. And before you ask, she let me crash on her couch last night so that you could get Khalid settled. I thought it would be better for him."

At the sound of his name, Khalid looked up at them gave the biggest smile Steve or Junior had seen him give since this entire ordeal had started, and rammed his police car right into Junior's fire truck. "Hey, I think that's the opposite of what we're supposed to be doing," Junior grinned down, but Khalid just rolled the police car back and rammed the fire truck again. Junior looked up at Steve. "Has he been driving with you?"

"Oh, that's real funny. That's great, be sure to tell Danny that one tomorrow, eh?"

"Hey, speaking of Detective Williams, did Jerry call him 'short stop' when you and Lou were there?"

"Oh God," Steve flopped backwards on the couch, happy enough to move on from their previous conversation, "Lou got it on his cell phone, I think. I don't know whether to warn Danny or just let him experience that live and in person. Who knows, maybe when he and Adam go see Jerry, he'll be a little more subdued."

Junior's face said that possibility wasn't very likely. "Hey, Tani and I were wondering last night if you needed anything else for Khalid? He's gonna be staying here a few weeks and I know Detective Williams picked up some essentials, but if this little guy's gonna need anything else, we're both here."

"I'm pretty sure Danny bought out everything Target had yesterday, but thanks, Junior." Steve stood up and rounded the coffee table. "Besides, I think it's about time we got 'the little guy' in bed."

Steve was so unprepared for the big, brown, sorrowful eyes gazing up at him, paired with little hands which clutched a police car woefully to his chest. "No' sleepy."

"Yea, I know you're not sleepy yet, buddy, but Will's coming over to watch you tomorrow. You remember Will? He had dinner with us earlier?"

Khalid nodded after a few brief seconds, then looked back up at Steve. "Read?"

"Uh..." Steve wasn't sure he had any kids books in the house, not even from when Joanie stayed over. "I'm not sure I have any books you'd like, kiddo."

"Oh," Khalid's face fell, and damn if that didn't galvanize Steve into thinking up some kind of solution. Junior bent down just a little bit to ask, "What kind of books do you like, Khalid? What kind of stories?"

Khalid shrugged, once again rolling his police car on the floor and making a soft vroom sound while he did. " _Cars_ ," he said suddenly. " _Lion King_."

"Disney saves the day," Steve muttered, standing up with Junior and going for his wallet, but Junior waved him off. "I'll take care of it. _Cars_ , Disney, and maybe some _Avengers_ stuff?" That sounded like Heaven to Steve, and Junior was headed out shortly thereafter while Steve helped Khalid clean up his toys and carry them upstairs to get ready for bed. Once again, he found himself brushing his teeth right next to Khalid and once that was done, Steve ushered him into his room, and looked around for a moment while Khalid climbed into bed. "Hey, Khalid, what's your favorite color?"

"Green!"

"Green, huh?" Steve scratched his five o'clock shadow and looked around. "Well. You're gonna be staying here for a little while. What do you say we go out this weekend and get some paint? We'll come back and we'll paint the room." He tugged the sheets up over Khalid (Cars themed, courtesy of Danny and his experience with his own young son), and was glad to see him nod eagerly before asking, "Can you tell me a story?"

Steve squirmed inwardly. All of his stories were war stories or field related – hardly suitable or acceptable for a little boy like Khalid, but the kid had been through hell in the last week. The least he could do was come up with something, even if it was an out and out lie. Steve scratched idly at his neck as he tried to think of a story, and soon enough, a smile and a bright grin came to him. "Alright. I'm gonna tell you the story about a detective and his magic ties."

And so for 45 minutes or thereabouts, Steve told Khalid the story of a detective who moved to an island in the middle of the ocean far, far away, and who brought with him a suitcase filled with ties, and it was when Steve was telling the tale of the detective using one of his magic ties to make himself seem more tough to a bad guy that Junior walked in, a bag of books in each hand. He sported his trademark boyish grin and plopped the books down on the bed. Khalid eagerly crawled towards them while Steve stood up and allowed him to explore.

"Just out of curiosity, does the detective with the tie have a name?"

"How do you even know about that? You were like, a teenager when Danny first got to Hawaii."

"Eh, he wears them on occasion, when he has to testify in court or if he feels like getting under your skin, things like that."

"Pft, like that even bothers me anymore," Steve rolled his eyes and squatted down next to the bed as Junior traipsed out of the room, heading off for a shower. "What'd Junior get you huh?"

" _Lion King_!" Khalid held up the book and shoved it towards Steve.

"You gotta go to bed, buddy. We can read this tomorrow night, okay? Maybe Will can read you some tomorrow?"

"Just a little bit?" And dammit, but there went those huge brown puppy dog eyes again. Steve was going to have to build up some kind of resistance to that, because currently, he had none.

"First chapter, then that's it." Capitulation at its finest, and Danny might poke fun at him tomorrow for it, but Steve found himself climbing into bed next to Khalid, opening the book, and letting the kid snuggle under his arm as he began to read. And of course, Steve didn't stop at the first chapter – sue him for being entertained too. In fact, he was well into the third before he noticed Khalid's head sagging down onto his stomach and heard deep, even breathing that told the story of a kid sleeping good and hard.

Thank God for that.

Steve eased himself out of the small bed and made sure Khalid's head was actually on the pillow before tucking the blankets around him tightly, finding his favorite stuffed animal, a squirrel with a bushy tail, amongst the sheets and covers, and sliding it under his arm. Once he was certain everything was right, he flicked on the Captain America nightlight and padded as quietly as he could out of the room, setting the book on the dresser near the door before turning the light off and heading downstairs to find Junior in the kitchen.

"Hey, thanks for going to get him those books, man. I owe you."

"Nah, don't worry about it, I was happy to do it." Junior took a long drink from his glass of water. "You're really good with him. He seems to like you."

"Well…" Steve shrugged, clearing his throat. "I don't know if it's me or if he just feels safe enough for now or… or what it is really. I'm kind of surprised he hasn't melted down yet, you know? Everything that's happened with his mother, not being able to really see her until yesterday, watching her shoot Jerry, and that's after watching me shoot his dad right in front of him… how does he not even remember that?"

"He's been through a lot of trauma in a really short period of time. Maybe that has something to do with it?"

Steve groaned, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Jesus, how did I not even think of that…"

"Think of what?"

"All the crap that kid's gone through in the last six months – God, Junior, he probably needs counseling. I mean, what kid wouldn't with the stuff he's seen?" Steve roughly slid his fingers through his hair. "Guess I'll add that to the list."

"Or I can add it to mine," Junior shrugged. "Remember I'm still going through full time nanny applications-"

"Which reminds me," Steve snapped his fingers and dug his phone out of his pocket, opening up a text to Duke and beginning to tap away at the keyboard. "I'm gonna want Duke to send some HPD patrols over here randomly for the next few weeks while Khalid is here. Just in case." When he was finished, he looked up to see Junior halfway staring at him. "What?"

"I just think that of all the people Khalid could've ended up with, he's probably got the best deal here. He's gonna have a hard time for a while but between all of us, I think he'll make it. I mean, how many kids can say they get a police drive by specifically for their security on the say-so of a task force commander?" With that, Junior drained the last of the water into the sink and set the glass aside. "Good night, Steve."

"G'night, Junior," Steve leaned against the counter as Junior headed off to his room, leaving Steve to beat around his own thoughts before he succumbed to the call of his father's study and a beer, booting up his laptop and beginning his search for child therapists.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Steve's thought to find a counselor for Khalid came just in time for the kid's first melt down their first weekend together. They'd had a full Saturday morning, with Steve getting Khalid up after he was finished swimming and getting him ready for the day, followed by breakfast, followed by grocery shopping and a trip to the paint store. Steve wasn't entirely certain what set the Khalid off; maybe he hadn't gotten enough sleep the previous night, maybe there were too many paint choices, hell, maybe he didn't like the look of the clouds in the sky. Whatever it was, one second Khalid was walking into the house when he accidently tripped over his own feet and fell face first onto the floor, and the next, he was wailing bloody murder with tears streaming down his little face and screaming for his mother while Eddie yipped his distressed yelps while nosing around Khalid's flailing little body.

Steve had no idea what to do, except forget the paint and groceries, pick Khalid up, and hug him tightly while sitting on the couch until he calmed down. Khalid went on for so long and so hard that Steve was actually afraid he was going to hyperventilate or choke on his own tears, but finally, about 20 minutes into the tantrum, the kid seemed to be evening himself out. Steve felt his own blood pressure slowly decrease, Khalid's little body calming into hitching breaths and whimpering sniffles as Eddie watched them both from the floor, ready to spring into action with affectionate licks and snuggles for everyone involved should he be needed.

Boy, could Steve use a cuddle from his dog right now.

Because Steve? Steve was having a panic attack of his own, the ticker in his mind's eye scrolling the same message over and over again: _What. The. Fuck. Were. You. Thinking_? How had Mary willingly signed up for this? How had Danny done this _twice_?!

Once he was sure Khalid was calm, Steve shifted him just enough to get a good look at his face, and Steve might not have been a parent, but he'd seen that look in Charlie's eyes often enough, Grace's too when she'd been a little girl. Khalid's face sang the song of a kid who was utterly exhausted emotionally, mentally, and probably physically. His eyes caught Steve's and he blinked lazily back at him.

"Feel better?" Steve murmured, not expecting an answer and Khalid didn't give him one, unless shoving his body against Steve's chest to curl closer counted as a sufficient response; Steve was more than happy to take it as such. "You've had a big morning, yea? How about a nap?"

There was no way to describe the way Steve's heart flipped when Khalid clutched at his shirt and burrowed his face into Steve's neck. He wasn't sure if that was a 'yes' or a 'no', but whatever it was had Steve more than willing to stay right there on the couch for at least a little while longer, and when he felt his phone vibrating against his leg, he took great pains not to jostle Khalid too much as he answered it.

"Danny."

"… _why are you whispering_?"

"Khalid fell asleep on me."

" _Why don't you put him in his bed_?"

"Danny, you have no idea what I've been through in the last hour."

The fact that Danny was out right laughing at him did nothing to ease Steve's anxiety about moving. "What is so funny?" He hissed-yelled. "This is not funny, I promise you! It was the apocalypse in this house for almost a half hour!"

" _Okay, okay, alright, I'm sorry_." Danny didn't sound one bit apologetic. Steve would get him back for that, oh yes, he would. Perhaps conveniently not having an extra steak on hand on an evening Danny was over, or actually making good on his threat to arm the Camaro with its very own grenade launcher – both were promising in hilarity and reaction. " _Look, I've got Charlie for the weekend. Rachel and Grace wanted to go do a girls spa trip or something equally ridiculous, so I was thinking maybe Khalid could make a new friend_?"

That was actually a really great idea, and Steve found himself filing all of his revenge pranks on Danny for his unsympathetic reaction just a few moments ago in the back of his mind to use at a later date. "Why don't you come by around three then?"

" _Done_."

"Good. Also, when you get here, I wanna ask you something."

" _What_?"

"…did you miss the part about 'when you get here'?"

" _Did you miss the part about just asking me when I got there rather than warning me you had something to ask me? Cos now, I'm gonna be thinking about it until I get there and you know how that drives me crazy, Steven, you know_ -"

It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last time that Steve held the phone away from his ear, forcing Danny's words into the sun streaked air that filtered into the living room through the curtains. He frowned, his nose scrunching up just slightly as he inspected the drapes framing the window while his partner's voice squawked through the speaker; Steve should probably look into replacing those, modernizing them. He retracted the phone back after about a few seconds, just in time to hear, "… _not even listening to me, are you? You're doing that stupid wifey thing when you hold the phone away from your ear, right_?"

"I'll see you at three?"

" _Yes, you'll see me at three_ ," Danny's resigned grumble made Steve grin. " _Goodbye_."

"Shoots."

If Khalid hadn't moved through that entire conversation, Steve was willing to lay odds that the kid was out like a light. Nevertheless, he stood carefully so as not to jostle him awake and then quietly padded up the stairs to Khalid's room, nudging aside the blankets on his bed and gently laying him down. Steve had done this enough with Charlie that he recognized Khalid was well and truly passed out, and he counted his blessings that the boy's sudden break down hadn't been worse. An involuntary shiver passed through Steve as he tucked Khalid securely into the bed and made sure his stuffed squirrel was under his arm; Steve wasn't sure he could deal with worse than that fit. In fact, he couldn't imagine a harsher outburst.

Steve took care to softly wipe at Khalid's cheeks before standing up and slowly backing out of the room, leaving the door wide open and stealing a glance towards his own bedroom. After the last hour, Steve felt like a nap himself, but he shook off that thought – Danny would be by in a few hours and Steve had some things to do until then.

Like putting away the groceries that he'd completely forgotten when Khalid hit the def con 1 button.

Steve made a beeline for the grocery bags that still littered the floor of the living room and deposited them into the kitchen before dashing out to his truck to get the remaining items. Note to self, he thought as he opened the door, _cold stuff first from here on out_. He spent the next 15 minutes or so putting things away, saving various food items, and tossing that which he couldn't save in the garbage while finding space for the foods Khalid had said he'd wanted to try. Steve hadn't been wild about the Lucky Charms Khalid had picked out, but he'd liked colorful rainbows and was entirely fascinated by 'Lucky the Leprechaun', so Steve hadn't put up much of a fight.

Once the food was all put away, Steve headed back out to the living room, picking up the paint and everything else that went with painting – brushes, a roller, a pan – and moving to store them in the hall closet for the time being. Khalid had picked a kind of lime green to paint the room after staring at several choices while at Sherwin Williams. Steve resolved to himself that that must have had some baring on his emotional collapse earlier and resolved to never let the kid have more than three things to choose from so long as he lived in the house. He'd been hoping to get started on at least taping off the borders and corners of Khalid's room, but that was quite simply not going to happen at the moment. The kid needed sleep, that much was evident, and Steve was not about to risk waking Khalid up and being the cause of a second break down that day.

So, McGarrett occupied his time with making a thorough list of things Khalid would need over the next few weeks. He'd gotten as far as toiletries when his phone went off and he looked down to see Adam's picture looking back at him. "Hey, Adam. What's going on?"

" _Nothing much, Steve. Just thought you might like an update on Jerry_?"

"I saw him yesterday while I was at the hospital. He said they were thinking he might be able to go home soon?"

" _Monday is what we're hearing. He's out of work for another three weeks or so, and then he'll go back for a post-op visit and if they clear him, he can come back on light desk duty only_."

"That's great, man." Steve slumped against the back of the couch, feeling relief from his head all the way down to his toes. "That's great. So, how's he doing otherwise?"

" _Good. He's asking about Khalid, wants to know how he's doing_."

"Khalid's… he's okay, we had a little 'disagreement' earlier this morning, but he's sleeping it off now."

" _A disagreement_ ," Adam chuckled, " _is that why you sound so tired_?"

"Man, I've never seen anything like it, Adam. One second he was fine, then he tripped, and I don't even think he really hurt himself that badly, but once he hit the floor, that was it. He just started screaming and crying and it was a half hour before he calmed down, and I only think he did because he tired himself out with the tantrum."

" _Well, he's had a pretty traumatic week, Steve_."

"He's had a pretty traumatic year, Adam, let's not kid ourselves. No thanks to me either."

" _You can't possibly be blaming yourself for this_." Steve heard the disapproval in Adam's tone and bit his lip – Oh Adam, ye of little faith; hadn't he learned Steve McGarrett could blame himself for anything? He'd shot the kid's father right in front of him. It hadn't mattered the reasons why. A child saw his father take a bullet while his mother hid behind a bed screaming as a group of men invaded her house. If Steve McGarrett was an expert in anything, it was assuming guilt even when he shouldn't. He rolled his shoulders a bit. "So, Monday Jerry can go home, huh?"

" _That's what we're hoping_ ," Adam easily answered, allowing the subject change and Steve was grateful for it.

"Alright, well, keep me posted. What are you doing now?"

" _Leaving the hospital_ ," Adam cleared his throat, " _I was going to go see Tamiko for the afternoon, maybe have dinner_."

Yet another conversation Steve needed to have with his friend, but he simply didn't have the heart to, at least not right now. By all accounts, Tamiko seemed to be the kind, non-felonious type of woman and Adam was happy. God knew he deserved it after Kono left him. "Buy the lady whatever she wants, buddy."

" _A guy can't make a woman dinner_?"

"No, he can, but I've tasted your cooking, Noshimuri. So…"

" _Buy the lady dinner. Got it. Talk to you later, Steve_."

Steve ended the call and shoved the phone back in his pocket before creeping up the stairs to check on Khalid. Surprisingly, but happily so, he found that Mr. Pickles had curled up at the foot of the bed. The cat's ear flicked and he lifted his head, noticing his fairly new owner standing in the door way, and stretched before settling back down again. Steve was rather pleased by this development; Mr. Pickles was a relatively friendly feline, but he and Eddie had their disagreements, which usually meant the cat staked out the upper floor of the McGarrett household while Eddie reigned supreme downstairs. The only turf war that took place occasionally was in Steve's bedroom when both animals wanted to sleep on the bed, and somehow, they'd worked that out between themselves. Steve chuckled as he headed back downstairs, imagining Eddie woofing that he'd stay at the foot of the bed if only Mr. Pickles would agree to take the free and open pillow at the head.

The afternoon dragged on until around 2:00pm when Steve realized Khalid had been sleeping for a little over two hours and he hoofed it up the stairs and into his room. The kid was still sacked out on his stomach with the most adorable little 'coo' snoring from his lips. Steve hated to wake him, but he'd had enough experience with letting Charlie nap for too long a few times that he knew if he didn't, it would be rough going getting him to sleep later that night. He crouched down and ran a hand along Khalid's back, gentling him to wakefulness.

"Hey, buddy. How're you feeling?"

Little hands rubbed at a sleepy face and Steve reminded himself that he was supposed to be steeling himself against these moments where innocence blinked up at him from confused, wondrous eyes belonging to a child who was now looking to him for guidance and care. This wasn't meant to be permeant - Steve tried to keep telling himself that. Khalid rubbed his nose against the pillow and pushed up on his elbows, orienting himself and looking at Steve again, who smiled. "You want a snack?"

At the mention of food, Khalid eagerly nodded his head and Steve grinned; nothing lifted someone from a sleepy fog better than food. "Good. We'll do that, and then Danny's coming over in a little while with his son. His name's Charlie; you wanna play with him for a little while?"

Khalid seemed amenable to that suggestion and soon enough, he and Steve were downstairs sitting at the table eating peanut butter toast and bananas. All signs of Khalid's earlier tantrum were gone, replaced by a smiling, happy, even somewhat chattering kid who wanted to know when he was going to get to paint his – _the_ , Steve reminded himself, _the_ – room he was staying in. Temporarily. Until Social Services could find a place for him.

Steve was finding it more and more difficult to remember that important nugget of information even after only a week, but thankfully, it wasn't long until Danny and Charlie arrived and Steve found those thoughts pushed right out of his head in favor of giving Charlie a tight hug and turning him towards Khalid.

"Khalid, this is Charlie, Danny's son. Charlie, this is Khalid. He's staying with me for a little while."

"I know, Danno told me about him," Charlie walked right over to Khalid and took the chair next to him. "Do you like _Transformers_?"

And they were off after that. Steve and Danny let the boys spread out in the living room and occupy themselves while they traversed between the kids and the kitchen getting dinner ready. "So, what happened earlier?" Danny hopped up on the kitchen counter with a grin. "You made it through your first melt down?"

"First and only one ever, I hope," Steve grumbled, chopping tomatoes for a salad to go with dinner. "It was horrible, Danny. I had no idea what to do, he just fell down and started screaming, and I don't think he even really hurt himself, but with the way he was crying, you'd have thought he'd broken a leg or something."

"Kids do that all the time," Danny waved it away, and the fact that his partner seemed unconcerned cheered Steve to no end. Danny was the world's best father; if he wasn't worried, why should Steve be? "Khalid's had his entire world uprooted in the last six months, he wants to see his parents again, go back home, eat food he's used to and see his friends again, and he can't do any of that. He's sad and he's angry, probably confused as all hell, and that's a lot of emotion to deal with in such a little body. Grace used to do the same thing when Rachel and I first split up; the smallest things would set her off."

"Yea… speaking of Grace," Steve cleared his throat, "I was thinking of taking Khalid to see someone. Like a counselor or a kid's psychiatrist. I remember you and Rachel had Grace see one for a while after Peterson, and… you know, she seemed to get past that pretty quick, even for a kid. So, I was hoping whomever it was is still in practice and I could get Khalid in to see her." All was quiet for longer than was normal for Danny, so Steve glanced up from the cucumber he'd moved onto after the tomatoes and fixed his partner with a look. "What? Did she retire or something?"

"No, no, she didn't retire, I'm just… you know, I'm thinking that it might just be easier to call Social Services and have them find someone for the kid."

"No, no, no, no, no, I want someone that comes recommended, someone that has a proven track record of working with kids who've gone through rough times," Steve gathered the sliced cucumbers and began cutting them into quarters. "Besides, if the foster care system is overwhelmed, can you imagine the counseling services they use? They're probably jam packed with kids already."

"Steve."

"And Khalid's a special case, Danny; he's in a country that's not even his own – " Steve groaned, realizing another problem. "Remind me to call Agent Morrison at ICE; maybe he can fast track Khalid's legal papers. Oh, and the State Department too, I've got a friend who works in the foreign service. He'd be good to talk to."

"Steven." Danny let his feet drop against the cabinet, the resounding bang getting the other man's attention.

"What?"

"You're talking like you're going to be keeping Khalid for more than a few weeks."

"No," Steve munched on a cucumber, but he didn't meet Danny's gaze, "I'm just trying to give him the best head start possible, since I'm kind of the reason he's in this situation to begin with."

"Oh, good, Adam warned me about this. I'm glad I'm not the one that had to bring it up," Danny crossed his arms over his chest. "You are not responsible for this, Steve. There are two people," he held up two fingers, twiddling them a bit to get Steve's attention, "two people, and two people only who are responsible for how Khalid finds himself now, and those two people are his parents. That's it."

"I shot his father right in front of him, Danny." Steve took care to keep his voice down, but his words were no less passionate. "Yea, I did it for Joe, but Khalid was there for that, he saw that. He'll remember that, and – I mean, God, I don't even understand why he isn't afraid of me! He saw me, he heard me, doesn't recognize me?"

"Honestly, babe, he probably doesn't remember you or remember much from that," Danny slid from the counter, ambling forward to lean on the food prep counter across from his partner. "Look, one of the issues we had with Grace when, you know, that thing happened was that she had a hard time remembering things Peterson had said, remembering exactly what he looked like. The therapist said that to protect her mind, her brain blocked all that out, saved her kind of from having to relive it. What she really remembered was what she was feeling at the time. Once she got older, her memories triggered nightmares and she started remembering more that way and we had to deal with that. She knows what Peterson looks like now, but when she was little…" He shrugged. "Kids are resilient, Steve. You've shown Khalid who you are. He trusts you. That's why he's not scared of you."

"But-"

"Danno?"

Steve fought not to laugh out loud, because it wasn't Charlie who'd walked into the kitchen, but Khalid, looking up at Danny with the most innocent of faces. Danny gave an ever so graceful grunt of surprise as an answer, and that seemed good enough for Khalid to proceed.

"Charlie said to see when dinner was."

"Charlie said to see when dinner was, huh? Well," Danny's looked over at Steve. "When's dinner?"

"I wasn't planning to eat until around six, but we can eat earlier."

Khalid stood on his tippy toes, trying to see over the counter and letting his fingers curl over the edges of it. "What're we eating?"

"You and Charlie are gonna have chicken and Danno and I have steak."

"Oh," Khalid had a thoughtful look on his face. "Ket-sup?"

Danny blinked. "Ketchup?"

"He likes ketchup on chicken," Steve snickered. "Yes, ketchup."

"Okay!"

Danny watched Khalid dodge around his legs and run back out into the living room where Charlie was. "Did uh, did you hear what he called me?"

"I did, in fact, hear what he called you. Seems kids love Danno whether or not they're your kids," Steve dropped the cucumbers into the bowl along with the tomatoes and lettuce and slid some saran wrap over the top of it before sliding it into the fridge. "We've got an hour before I have to put the meat on the grill."

"You got a beer?"

Steve blinked. "Beer?"

"Yes, Steven, a beer, a beverage that you and I used to enjoy quite frequently before our mishap with a plane and a beach a few years ago that resulted in the relocation of half my liver into your body, but which you and I both keep regularly stocked at our respective houses, likely against our doctors' wishes."

"I know what beer is, but…"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "But what?"

"We got the kids in there, Danny, we shouldn't drink while they're here; what if something happens?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Steve, it's not like we're gonna have a kegger. We're going to have one beer outside on the patio-"

"Outside while they're in here by _themselves_?!" And yea, Steve had gone swimming while Khalid had been alone in the house, but the kid had been asleep, so that didn't count. Plus, there were two kids now. That was totally different.

"Okay," Danny slid behind Steve to the fridge and fished out two beers for himself and the other man. "We'll go outside, we'll sit on the lanai, we'll turn the chairs so we're facing the living room just in case anything happens. And while we are outside enjoying our one, and only one, adult beverage of the evening, I will instruct you on the finer points of fatherhood and parenting." Danny headed out of the kitchen, clearly expecting Steve to follow, and Eddie, who was in the living room with the kids, moved to get up once he saw the guys heading outside, but Steve shook his head. "Stay in here buddy, stay with the boys."

Once Steve settled next to Danny in their now facing-the-house chairs, Danny popped the cap off of his beer and took a drink. "First rule of parenting; if the kids are in the house and there's no noise, they're up to no good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All who are in favor of Danny guiding Steve in the finer arts of fatherhood, say ‘Aye!’
> 
> All opposed? None, of course! :D
> 
> Childhood trauma is an interesting subject, particularly because children react to all different kinds of trauma in vastly different ways. But kids are incredibly resilient, especially if they are cared for nurtured appropriately after experiencing their trauma. This was probably one of my more enjoyable chapters to write specifically because Steve got to experience the ‘one second, the child is fine, the next second, the child is absolutely NOT fine’ side of a child’s psyche when the kid is trying to work through distress they’ve suffered.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this little chapter – more to come later this week as I go through the final edits for Chapter 5!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, I suppose you could always take solace in the fact that if you ever did get sick, you have someone ready and willing to step up and take care of you,” Lou idly touched the tongs to the hot dogs, innocently rolling them along the ridges of the grill and ignoring his co-worker’s increasingly knowing glare. 
> 
> “Alright, okay,” Tani folded her arms. “Come on. Get it out. Ever since Junes and I went to that wedding, I’ve noticed the whispering and the goo-goo eyes all of you have been making at us – you guys aren’t subtle.”

**Hawaii Five-0**

It turned out that Monday did not see Jerry released from the hospital. " _It's really nothing to worry about guys; the doc just wants to keep me until Wednesday just to make sure everything's draining right and rather than send me home and have to come back, we figure it's just easier to stay_."

"Don't lie, Jerry, you like the hospital food too much to leave," Danny leaned over the computer table, making sure Jerry heard him through the speaker phone.

" _Their chocolate pudding is pretty good_."

"Alright, well if you're home this week, we'll see you at your place for a little get together this weekend," Adam pipped up, and after everyone had the chance to shout a goodbye, it was business as usual for the rest of the week, a week which was blessedly rather slow. On Wednesday, Adam and Tani took off to pick up Jerry from the hospital and ferry him home, and after Steve had waved them off, he dug his phone out and responded to a text from Will asking if it was okay for Khalid to try some sushi. Steve shrugged; he didn't remember fish being on the list of allergies in Khalid's medical history, so what was the harm in that? He sent an okay and headed into his office, settling into his chair just in time for Junior to knock on his door.

"What's up, Junior?"

"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second, Sir?"

"It's Steve, and also yes, you can talk to me for a second." Junior settled himself into the chair across from Steve's desk.

"I haven't said anything before now because I wasn't sure I'd be able to find a place, but I've been looking, and I think I've found an apartment that'll work for me. It's available next month, so…"

"That's great, man. Where's it at?"

"Not far from you, actually, about a ten-minute drive. It's a new development and they were running a special on their one bedrooms, so I figured I should at least take a look and I liked what I saw." Junior offered a nervous grin Steve's way. "So, I guess this is me telling you I'm moving out for real this time."

"Well, I'm happy for you, Junior. I really am. This is great," Steve's face lit up. "Hey, when you get your move in date, let us know. We'll all take an admin day to get you set up at your new place."

The day was slow enough that Steve sent everyone packing by 4:30pm, and Thursday and Friday weren't much different. "This is like the calm before the storm," Danny said as he got into the Camaro while Steve hopped into the driver's seat. "Every other time it's been this quiet, a few weeks go by and then international terrorists show up on the beach with a nuclear bomb strapped to their raft or something."

"You have the most interesting imagination of anybody I've ever known in my life," Steve pulled out of the palace parking lot and onto the road. "Most of us – actually, all of us, are just enjoying this while it lasts-"

"Yea, yea, while it lasts, that's my point-"

"And you're over here coming up with doomsday theories-"

"Well, because if you look at our track record, look at our history, doomsday isn't that far off, is it?" Steve felt Danny's exasperated glare travel the three feet between them and settle decidedly in his peripheral vision. He grinned; it had been a while since they'd had a right proper argument in the car. "Our track record is fine."

"Our track record is not fine, and I am now going to spend the remainder of our drive explaining to you in great detail why that is. One; there was that time we had a few quiet weeks and our profession resembled that of a common office setting, and our bliss was interrupted by a case involving a homeless guy hacking a guy to death with a machete and burying the body in a hay-hoo that, when I tried to investigate said hay-hoo, my car got its front and back windows busted in – why are you laughing? Why's that funny?"

"It's called a heiau, Danny, not a hay-hoo!"

"Heiau, hay-hoo, hoo-ha, whatever!" Danny's hands sliced through the air with each word, and Steve took that opportunity to take a corner with just enough sharpness that would make his partner reach for the 'Jesus-Christ-Slow-Down-Steven' bar above the door. "That was unnecessary, Steve, I have a date tonight and I would prefer not to go into it with a concussion!"

Steve almost slammed on the breaks, and while he managed to keep his foot from landing on the break like an anvil, the car still stopped a little harsher than was really appropriate. "You have a date?"

"Yes, Steven, I have a date," Danny sighed. "Friday night is typically a date night among couples."

Silence settled within the car, and not the comfortable quiet that usually surrounded the guys when they were sitting in their chairs in Steve's backyard with Longboards and no cares.

"Do you need someone to watch Charlie?" Steve asked after a few moments, chewing on his bottom lip.

"No, uh. Rache is just gonna leave him with Grace. She can watch him for a few hours."

Steve nodded, taking another turn, this one a little more gently. "You know she knows, right?"

"Who knows what?"

"Grace; she knows about you and Rachel."

"What are you talkin' about? How could she know?"

"I don't know how she knows, but she does. She told Will, who told Lou, who told me," Steve glanced over at Danny. "You haven't sat her down and told her?"

"We're waiting."

"Waiting for what, Danny? She knows!"

"Look, it's…" Danny slid further down in his seat, crossing his arms, "this is complicated, Steve. Me and Rachel, there's a lot of stuff that we have to work through and we're having a good time right now just being with each other."

Steve pulled into his driveway and brought the car alongside his truck, putting the Camaro in park and sitting back for a few minutes. "Alright, well. Khalid and I'll see you at Jerry's tomorrow, right?"

Danny nodded, unbuckled his belt, and slipped out of the car, coming around the front and taking the driver's seat from Steve. "Have fun tonight, okay?"

"Yea," Danny shut the door and without anything further, pulled out of the driveway, leaving Steve to stare after him, his stomach sinking and a little voice sounding the alarm in his head that this thing between Rachel and Danny was going to end. Badly.

**Hawaii Five-0**

The party was in full swing by the time Steve arrived at Jerry's place with Khalid in tow. Of course, in full swing meant that most of the invited guests had arrived and everyone was sitting or standing with drinks in their hands while Lou manned the grill out back. Khalid stuck to Steve's leg like a caterpillar to a tree and blinked up at Jerry when the man waved at him from his recliner before shyly lifting a hand in what was meant to be a hello back and turning his face into Steve's leg.

"We'll work on that," Steve bit his lip, but Jerry wasn't offended in the least and leaned forward as much as he could. "Hey Khalid, do you like space?"

The kid turned to look at Jerry and regarded him quietly while his large, happier-than-he-should-be-for-a-man-who'd-been-shot host continued to talk. "You know, spaceships, space stations, stars? Because I have some cool cartoon figures that I think you might like from a movie called _Star Wars_."

"Sta'waws?"

"Got it in one," Jerry grinned. "You want me to tell you about it?"

Steve caught Danny talking with Junior and Tani out of the corner of his eye and knelt down just a bit. "Yea, buddy why don't you get to know Jerry here for a bit, huh? He's a pretty cool guy, you know?" And Steve had found a new favorite past time over the last two weeks; watching Khalid puzzle out an answer to any question. The kid's face was so expressive, and Steve was certain that if he tried hard enough, he would be able to see cogs turning in the little boy's brain as he weighed the pros and cons of each potential option, placing a bean on each scale until one outweighed the other and he could make a decision. "I'll be right over there with Danno, okay? And I'll get you a drink too while I'm gone."

"There's some apple juice in the fridge if you want to give him that," Jerry helpfully pointed out, rolling his eyes. "The docs want to make sure I'm 'visiting the facilities' and staying hydrated enough."

"Thanks, man," Steve stood up and ruffled Khalid's hair a bit. "Gonna get your juice, and I'll be just over there." Relatively certain that Khalid was secure in staying with Jerry, Steve left the two alone and headed across the living room towards Danny. He was warmly greeted by Tani and Junior, but Danny only gave him a brief smile and hardly lifted his bottle of beer, and Steve sighed inwardly. Okay, so this wasn't going to go as smoothly as he was hoping for; that was okay, he could deal with that.

"So Junes was just telling us that he found a place and that you, McGarrett, have enlisted all of us to move him in under the pretense that you'll be giving us time off of work to do so," Tani clapped Junior on his shoulder and fixed Steve with a half glare. "I so love being volunteered to move couches and tables and beds in the middle of the summer, you know?"

"I…yea, okay, I'll make sure we have plenty of water." Steve cleared his throat and looked at his partner, but the words caught in his throat and instead of saying 'Danny, can you come talk to me for a second?', what came out was, "Danny, Khalid needs juice.", to which Danny arched an eyebrow that clearly broadcasted the snarky mood he was in. He glanced over at Khalid, then at Steve's pinched face, and eventually sighed. "So, go get him juice. This is Max's old apartment. I know he had a kitchen and a fridge when he was here and I'm pretty sure Jerry didn't remove either of those things."

Steve took a breath, feeling his blood pressure rise. He should've known Danny wasn't going to make this easy on him. "Can I please talk to you in the kitchen while I get Khalid his juice?"

"Yes, Steven, you can. See, was that so hard?" Danny headed away from Steve, leaving his partner with a full-blown case of Constipation Face, and Steve didn't receive any sympathy from Tani either. She only quirked an eyebrow as if to say, 'Well, are you going to follow him?', and swept a hand in the direction Danny had walked.

Steve found Danny in the kitchen as he requested, already looking for a cup to pour the apple juice into, and for a few moments, Steve just watched as his partner picked through the cupboards until he found a cup he deemed suitable for a five-year-old to sip from. "I was hoping you'd bring Charlie today. Khalid liked playing with him last weekend."

"Yea, well. Rachel has him today, so," Danny uncapped the apple juice with a little more aggression than was necessary and poured some of the juice into a cup. So far, Danny hadn't looked at Steve since he'd entered the kitchen and that plucked at Steve's heart more than anything else he could think of. "You and Rachel have a good time last night?"

Danny shrugged, and Steve cracked. Ordinarily, Steve could play the cold shoulder I'm-Not-Talking-To-You game better than anyone and simply go on about his business until that person was ready to talk, but Danny had always managed to get him to try just that little bit harder to connect, to not give up so easily. "Look, Danny, I don't know what it was I said yesterday, but obviously it was something that made you mad enough that you're doing an amazing impression of Mary when she's pissed at me-"

"It's not – you didn't _say_ anything, Steve, it's…" Danny huffed. Steve waited him out.

"I wasn't prepared for Grace to know before we told her. I wanted to be the one to do that, but if she knows now, then that's something Rachel and I will just have to deal with," Danny put the apple juice back in the fridge, his movements laced with frustration. Steve stole a glance over his shoulder before inching forward further.

"C'mon, that's not the only thing that's bothering you," he kept his voice low, cognizant that Danny wouldn't want this conversation loud enough for others to hear, and he felt his chest loosen just a bit as Danny finally looked at him, really looked at him. Steve could see the hurt clear as day. "Danny, what did I say?"

"You didn't say anything, Steve, it's… no one said anything that's not true, no one's done anything, I just – I know you think I'm crazy for this, okay?" Danny slumped against the counter and ran his fingers through his hair, "ah, don't," he cut Steve's protest off. "I know you do, regardless of all the stuff you said that night at the Hilton. You're supporting me because you're my partner and my best friend, but I know you think this is a bad idea. I can't justify it, Steve. And I was hoping to have some more time to wrap my head around this and for Rachel and me to have everything settled before we talked to Grace about it."

"Danny, you explained to me why you're giving it a try again. I told you I got it, and I do." Steve shuffled forward, Khalid's juice wholly forgotten for the moment as he stood in front of Danny and gripped his friend's shoulder with a warm, firm hand. "I can't lie and say that I'm not afraid of what's going to happen, but regardless of what happens with you and Rachel, I will be there. I'll be there, Danny, I swear, for you, and for the kids. Hell, if you want me to be there for Rachel too, I will." That got a laugh out of his partner and Steve wasn't exactly sure what he'd said that was funny, but if it made Danny even a little happy in this moment, he'd take it.

"She'd run circles around you, babe, no offense."

"Yea, she probably would," Steve smiled softly. Rachel was nothing if not insanely intelligent, and that intellect mixed with the propensity to speak her mind when and where she pleased with a deadly, razor sharp wit had been well established - usually at Danny's expense. "Khalid wants his juice."

"It's right there," Danny pointed over to the cup and knocked the knuckles of his other hand against Steve's stomach. "Go give the kid his juice." But even as he said it, Danny was moving out of Steve's grip, grabbing the cup, and heading out of the kitchen. The near ear-splitting shriek of 'Danno!' that Steve heard from the living room turned his soft smile into a huge grin.

Just like that, they were back on the same page. Steve stepped out of the kitchen, nearly bumping into Tani. "Relax, McGarrett; he's just over there," she pointed at Danny, whose hand was on Khalid's head as the kid happily hugged Danny's leg tightly, Jerry talking to both of them at the same time. "You could think about buying a leash for him."

"Huh?" Steve was woefully, adorably confused, and Tani just shrugged it off. "Nothing. I'm going to check with the chef and see if the food's done yet."

"That… is an awesome idea, yes, go and do that," Steve sent her along and headed over to Danny. Tani, who had long since stopped wondering at Steve's sporadic social oddities, merely shook her head and slid out the back door, coming alongside Lou who was dressed every inch the part, a tall white chef's hat mounted on his head and a bright red apron guarding center mass from the painful calamities that were grease burns and stains. "Food ready?"

"Which SEAL are you asking for?"

"I mean… both?" Tani shrugged. "One's mature, the other one's a kid basically, but they can both still eat a house."

"Well, between you and me, the mature SEAL already has a wife that can come pester me for his food, so I'll assume you're talking about Junior."

Tani cleared her throat. "I take it back. I was asking for me, myself. Only me. I'm hungry too." She steadfastly ignored the obvious 'yea, right' expression on Lou's face and surveyed the chicken, burgers, and hotdogs cooking over the open flame. "How long?"

"Depends on if you want your burger mooing or not."

"I prefer my chances of contracting Ecoli on the lower end of the spectrum, thanks," Tani brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Well, I suppose you could always take solace in the fact that if you ever did get sick, you have someone ready and willing to step up and take care of you," Lou idly touched the tongs to the hotdogs, innocently rolling them along the ridges of the grill and ignoring his co-worker's increasingly knowing glare. "Alright, okay," Tani folded her arms. "Come on. Get it out. Ever since Junes and I went to that wedding, I've noticed the whispering and the goo-goo eyes all of you have been making at us – you guys aren't subtle."

"I don't have anything to add on the subject except to say that I wish you both well with whatever it is that you're doing, planning, not planning, what have you."

"Thank you."

"But," Lou held up a sure finger, all kidding fading from his gaze as he fixed Tani with a look he often bestowed on his children when he wanted them to carefully consider a decision they had to make. "You and Junior are going to be the future of Five-0. Me, Steve, Danny? We're not gonna be sticking around forever, so you two are going to have to make it work after we leave. I'm not telling you or Junior what to do, but whatever it is you both decide, just understand you're gonna have to live with it all the time, no matter what happens."

"I know."

"Our work puts us in a lot of dangerous situations, Tani," Lou looked at her, pleased that he had her full attention. "Can you hold back if Junior is in a situation where his life is in danger? Can you make a team-based decision, and not a Junior based one? Can he? All of these life and death situations that we find ourselves in on the regular; can you both look at the other and make sure that the team, the case, comes before the relationship? Can you keep your heads on straight when shit hits the fan?" Lou shook his head at her when Tani opened her mouth to speak. "Don't answer right now. Think it over. You've got time. Just make sure that when you _do_ answer, it's a decision you both can commit to." He waited for her to nod before turning his attention back towards the grill. "Now, what do you say you grab the buns and plates, and we get crackin' on getting this food on the table before everyone in there kills the chef?"

**Hawaii Five-0**

By mid-afternoon, the gathering had petered out to only Steve, Danny, Khalid, and Jerry, who was currently serving as Khalid's latest bed as the child napped on him, worn out from the day. "I'm glad he's okay at least," Jerry patted the boy's back gently. "He seems like he's happy, even with everything that's happened to him."

"Yea, it helps that he has this big marshmallow over here taking care of him," Danny settled onto the couch next to Steve, offering both Jerry and Steve a bottle of water, the latter of which accepted, and Jerry declined. Danny shrugged and kept it for himself. "How are you doing though, really?"

"I'm okay. I'm sore. Sometimes it's hard to breath and I can't lift my left arm much, if at all. Tired. But, it could be worse," Jerry's sunny disposition at his current condition made it difficult for the melancholy to take hold of his team mates. "I mean, if it weren't me, it probably would've been you, McGarrett."

Steve stopped himself from apologizing and telling Jerry that it _should have_ been him, and that was mostly his own doing, but it was also the feeling of Danny's glare burning into the side of his face that Steve knew was a warning to not make such a statement, or at least not to do so in front of Danny. So, he settled for, "As long as Khalid wasn't hurt," and Steve felt the heat at his periphery subside, at least for now.

"I called that therapist," Steve continued, picking at the label of the water bottle resting between his legs. "She made room to see Khalid next week, so. I'm gonna take him to her."

"Khalid will like her," Danny assured him. "She was great with Grace. She specializes in trauma with kids."

"He doesn't seem very traumatized to me," Jerry reassured Steve. "Really, Boss. You're doing great with him. I'm a little concerned that he hasn't received a proper education though."

Steve squinted. "Proper education?"

"He means sci-fi and cartoon characters," Danny rolled his eyes. "Both of which are very fun, but do not constitute an education. Math, science, spelling – that's an education."

"Sure, but the arts are just as important to building a well-balanced and cultured outlook on life," Jerry wisely pointed out as Khalid shifted a little on his chest. "Besides, after what this kid has gone through, comics and cartoons might not be a bad idea for a little while."

"Probably not a bad idea for you to get some sleep either," Steve moved off the couch and reached for Khalid. "You sure you're gonna be okay here?"

"Mom's on her way over to stay the night."

"She need anything?" Danny asked.

"I'll ask her when she gets here, but probably not. She wanted me to make sure to tell you guys again how much she appreciated everyone checking in on her when I was in the hospital."

"We're ohana, Jer," Steve gently lifted Khalid from his make-shift Jerry-bed, turning him around so he could settle against Steve's chest. The boy tucked his head underneath Steve's chin, his deep sleep hardly interrupted.

"You're gonna have to wake him in a little bit, babe," Danny stood up. "Otherwise he won't sleep tonight, even with everything he ate."

"I will when we get home. He can play in the ocean for a little while. He liked that with Charlie last week."

"Are you going to adopt him, Commander?" Jerry's question caught Steve off guard. "Uh… no. I just – you know, Social Services doesn't have a place for him yet and I want him to go to a family right away, not be put in a house with a bunch of other kids." Steve studiously ignored the smug look on Danny's face. "Why do you ask?"

"Just because you're really good with him. I've watched you all day together. It's obvious Khalid likes you and trusts you. And you really seem to like having him around," Jerry shrugged. "And the more kids that call me Uncle Jerry, the better!"

Steve could only laugh (quietly) as he and Danny said goodbye to Jerry with his assurance that he would be perfectly fine until his mother got there – "She's only 15 minutes behind you!" – and headed out of the house.

"At least you don't have to fight getting him into a car seat." Danny graciously opened the passenger side door of Steve's truck. "Wake him up when you get home, or he'll be up at three in the morning." Steve only nodded, telling Danny he'd be sure to do that and hopping into the driver's side.

"Hey Steve."

"Yea?" Steve stopped midway to closing the door.

"I just… you really are good with him, okay, and Charlie liked him a lot. In fact, he was asking if he could come over next weekend to play with Khalid?"

Steve's heart melted and a soft smile broke out on his face. "Charlie can come over whenever he wants, Danno. You know what?" And Steve was going to kick himself later for this suggestion, but he'd promised Danny he would be supportive, and supportive was what he would be. "Why don't you bring Charlie over next Saturday and I'll keep him for the night so you and Rachel can hang out?"

Danny blinked. "Uh… yea, that's uh… that works. We can do that. Thanks."

"I mean, you're welcome to come over too, of course," Steve rushed to say, "I just thought you might like the time, you know… to yourselves?"

"I – yea, that'll be nice. Thanks, babe."

Steve watched as Danny headed over to the Camaro and gave a wave over the roof of the car before hopping in and driving away, and Steve had the oddest sense that he'd said something wrong again, but he didn't know what. Shifting in the seat behind him pulled his attention to Khalid, who was blinking blearily up at him. Steve smiled down gently in return. "Ready to head out, buddy?"

He wasn't sure if Khalid nodded or if he'd simply lulled back to sleep, but either way, Steve cut the engine on and headed for home.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Tani entered the bullpen, file in hand with two, unsuspecting targets acquired. "So, remember those drug runners that we caught a few months ago trying to escape by way of rowboat out of the Honolulu Harbor?"

"Those were the opioid smugglers, right?" Junior folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the computer table next to Adam.

"That would be them, yes. Prosecutor's office called and we have a date for their trial. They want to know who from Five-0 is going to be testifying."

Both Adam and Junior's fingers went to their noses in an instant, leaving Tani to wonder if she was truly working with adults or teenagers. "…what are you two doing?"

"Not it," Junior answered, as if that explained everything and was a perfectly acceptable out. "The first person to put their finger on their nose can't be picked for the job," Adam explained further.

Tani's eye twitched. "What the hell is happening right now?"

"We don't wanna testify?" The adorable, hopeful grin that spread on Junior's face as he spoke would be Tani's undoing one day. It would; she had to imagine that there were a fair number of girls that simply hadn't had the strength to stand against the innocence and sweetness that could be found in that smile of his. But unfortunately for Junior, that day was not today. Tani tossed the file towards the table, which conveniently still had her two cohorts standing in front of it, and ignored Adam's rather admirable impression of Daffy Duck darting away as if his ass was on fire. Junior just neatly side stepped the flying paperwork, as if he'd been dodging paper cuts all his life, along with bullets.

"I have represented Five-0 four times out of the last six cases we've had go to trial. I'm giving myself a break. Your hiatus is over boys; figure it out."

"What are we figuring out?" Lou asked, walking into the bullpen.

" _They_ are figuring out who is going to represent Five-0 and testify about that opioid drug bust in the harbor from a few months ago." Tani sized Lou up, who was currently holding his coffee mug in a way one could only describe as desperately bored. "When was the last time you testified?"

"Girl please, between here and Chicago, I've testified in court more times than you've sneezed in your entire life." With that, Lou headed into his office, passing Danny along the way. "Don't go over there unless you want to represent us in court in a few weeks," he warned, ducking away before Danny could answer him. But, as he headed over to the table to find Junior and Adam looking somewhat guiltily over a file with Tani standing next to them, all smug assuredness, well, he was a pretty good detective; he figured it out from there.

"Not it."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Tani groaned.

"Hey, I paid my dues, rookie," Danny shook his head and indicated the three of them with a wide sweeping finger. "In two states, not to mention my now 20 plus years of service to the fine citizens of this lovely country."

"So, you're saying this is a perk for you?"

"That is correct, this is a perk. A very nice perk, one that I am going to milk and hold over your heads whenever I can because I have earned it."

"Well," Tani's flashed a sweet smile, and Danny didn't trust that smile one bit; experience had taught him better, and her next sentence confirmed that, yes, Danny's gut was still as sharp and on target as it ever was. "I guess I shouldn't get in the way of your entitlement package. Do you draw on that when you start taking social security in a few years?"

Tani strutted back to her office while Danny cleared his throat, shrugging off the crack on his age (he was only in his mid-40's for pete's sake) and glanced at his two co-workers. Adam and Junior were quick to study the folder once Danny's eyes swiveled their way. "Smooth," he muttered. Junior at least tossed him a sympathetic glance; Danny shrugged it off. "Either of you seen Steve?"

"He stepped out, said he'd be back after lunch," Adam supplied. "Something about a doctor's appointment with Khalid."

"Oh yea, he took Khalid to see that therapist you recommended," Junior snapped his fingers. "The earliest appointment he could get was before lunch on a Friday, so, he took it." Danny nodded, remembering Steve mentioning that little bit of information to him the previous night when he'd gone over for a beer. He walked forward, intending to take at least a look at the file his teammates were studying when he felt his pocket jump. Hearing the _buzz buzz buzz_ of his cell phone and excusing himself, he headed back to his office, only putting the phone to his ear when the door was closed. "Hey,"

" _Hello yourself_ ," Danny could tell Rachel was smiling when she spoke and it made him do the same. " _Is your day going alright_?"

"Uh, my day is going fantastic. Adam and Junior's day, not so much," Danny chuckled. "It helps that Steve's out of the office with Khalid, so, less of a chance that someone's going to be shooting at me for the next hour or two."

" _Is he alright_?"

"Who?"

" _Khalid_."

"Yea, I think so." Danny leaned back heavily in his chair, twirling around so that he could see Junior and Adam in the bullpen. From all appearances, it seemed they were deciding which of them was going to testify via a rousing game of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors'. Judging from the delighted look on Adam's face, Junior was losing so far. "Steve took him to the same doc that saw Gracie after that stuff with Peterson and her winter formal a few years ago. Kid's been through some kinda hell with everything his parents have done, so."

" _I can only imagine_ ," Rachel's sympathetic voice, " _the poor boy probably has no idea what's happening_."

"Yea. But he's a cute little guy, that's for sure. Tough too," Danny swiveled the chair around again. "So, what's going on? You just call to say hi?"

" _That and to tell you that I have some bad news_."

"Oh?"

" _My firm needs me to go to Los Angeles for the next three weeks. We're opening up a new office there and it's my division's turn to start the hiring process and set up all of the required trainings. They want me to go and supervise_."

"Wow," Danny leaned forward a bit. "Three weeks?"

" _I know it's short notice; I'm to leave tomorrow actually, so that I can take the weekend to prepare and be settled come Monday_ ," Rachel sighed. " _I know you'd wanted to spend the weekend all together, us and the kids, but_ -"

"No, it's okay, I get it, babe," Danny shook his head free of the surprise. "It's for work, you gotta do it. I get it, trust me. It's alright." He heard the relief in her voice, the escaped sigh that floated through her end of the phone all the way to his. "I'll come over tonight and pick them up so you can pack."

" _Why don't you have dinner with us before you take them? We can all spend the evening together_."

"You think Grace will be okay with that?"

" _She seems fine with what we've told her so far, don't you think_?"

Danny couldn't disagree with that. After Steve's warning to him that Grace was onto Danny and Rachel's reconciliation, Danny had made the decision to sit Grace down as soon as possible to tell her what was going on. He'd had to convince Rachel to do it, but in the end, it had been the best thing possible for them to do, because Grace had known for quite some time that things had been different between her parents. It had been a little over a week since they'd told her, and Danny was still feeling the guilt, fresh and raw and constricting his heart. But Grace seemed okay, if a little more quiet than usual.

 _If you're proud of what you're doing, you should never have to hide it_ , his father had once told him. Danny promptly shoved that thought away.

" _Danny_?"

"Yea, sorry, there's uh… Junior and Adam, they're arguing over which of them is going to testify in a case we cracked."

" _I don't hear anyone_ …"

"Well, that's because they're arguing via roshambo."

" _You mean to tell me a state wide law enforcement task force at the command of a Navy SEAL is playing a game of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' to decide which of you fine, upstanding officers is going to present to Court in order to ensure the criminal element is incarcerated_?"

"Uh, no, no, not the task force, just those two – just Junior and Adam. Tani said no, me and Lou pulled rank and the 'been there, done that' card, so, it's just those two." Danny realized how ridiculous it all sounded as it came out of his mouth.

" _Well, I feel quite safe and secure hearing that. Thank you, Daniel_."

"See you tonight." Danny tapped the phone to end the call and allowed it to slide cleanly onto the wood surface of his desk, staring at it for a moment while his fingers drummed a thoughtful beat against the surface. There was no doubt that when he was in the moment with Rachel, he was happy. It felt like old times, like when they'd first started dating. Being with her, laughing with her, just being able to have a conversation with her like they used to before everything went to Hell in a hand basket made him so fucking happy. But then there were moments like these, moments when he wasn't with Rachel, or when he was with Steve or his kids, especially before he'd broke the news to them, where Danny didn't feel quite so happy, didn't feel quite so proud or content, where his thoughts ran rampant and that pessimistic nature of his reared its ugly head.

 _If you're proud of what you're doing, you should never have to hide it_.

He must have been sitting deep in thought for quite some time, because when Steve came in, Khalid in tow, Danny didn't even register it. He didn't realize his partner was back until Steve was standing in front of his desk, his brow pinched in concern.

"Hey," Danny sat up immediately, grabbing his phone and sticking it in his pocket while he stood up. "Sorry."

"Everything okay?"

"Yea, fine, everything's good, babe," he stuck his hands in his pockets. "Rachel's going out of town for a few weeks for work, so we were just talking about me getting the kids tonight."

"Oh yea? Sounds like weekends at Uncle Steve's are back on then!" Steve looked so dopey and happy at the prospect of having two – three, Danny reminded himself – kids running around his beach and tracking sand through his house that it chased away the worries plaguing Danny, at least for the moment. "That's great, Khalid wants to see Charlie again."

"How'd that go by the way? Khalid with the doc, did it go okay?"

"Yea, it went alright, I think. He was kind of nervous at first, but the doctor started letting him play with toys and gave him some paper and crayons to draw with, said that that helped kids express what they were feeling better, more on their level." Steve nudged his head towards his office, pointing to Khalid who was settled on Steve's sofa, a backpack on the floor and a book or a pad of paper in his lap; Danny couldn't tell from his vantage point, but he didn't have long to wait. "We stopped by an art store on the way back and I got him a sketch pad, some crayons, some markers – hey, did you know they make soft colored pencils for little kids so they don't poke their eyes out?"

Danny almost laughed, but he held it in and settled for a bright smile, because this would never not be simultaneously amusing and adorable; Steve McGarrett, bad ass former Navy SEAL and intelligence officer and current head of an elite, rough and tumble task force breaking out in excited, boyish grins and nearly jumping around like a puppy at the prospect of having bought a kid child-specific items. "I did know that, babe. We bought those for Grace when she was little."

Steve gave a hum of acknowledgement. "Hey, where is everyone else?"

"Uh… well, Lou is over in his office. I think Tani's hiding out somewhere, and if I'm not mistaken, Junior and Adam are probably in their 158th game of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors'. Please don't ask me why."

"Rock - why are they playing roshambo?"

"I told you not to ask me!"

**Hawaii Five-0**

Swinging by Rachel's to have dinner and grab the kids turned out to be a longer affair than Danny had planned for, but it wasn't unpleasant. Dinner was relatively easy and languid, with the kids telling their parents about their respective days at school and Rachel sharing some of the more interesting details of her itinerary while she was going to be in Los Angeles. At the mention of possibly spending the weekends at Uncle Steve's, both Grace and Charlie had been loudly approving. Now, as Danny and Rachel were in the kitchen, the kids were upstairs packing up odds and ends that they'd want while at their father's.

"Sounds like a good gig you got in L.A.," Danny fiddled with a twisty tie as Rachel worked, pulling things out of the fridge that would spoil before she got back and putting them in a bag for Danny to take with him. "It's a very good gig," she poked her head up from placing a gallon of milk in the bag. "I'm glad they decided to open the office this way and not like the last time, where they had all of the departments on site at once. It was a nightmare."

"Yea… I'll bet," Danny cleared his throat, "all those lawyers and accountants and suits…" He flicked the twisty tie at her, chuckling when it got caught in her hair and she squawked.

"You're 12 years old sometimes, I swear."

"Only sometimes though," Danny grinned at her. Rachel just shook her head but failed to turn away before she could hide the flush on her cheeks.

"You'll have to wait for that, I'm afraid."

"Story of my life." But his voice was soft and humorous, and Rachel knew he was joking. It wasn't long before she'd cleaned the fridge out of the perishables and Danny was calling for the kids to 'get a move on' that Grace and Charlie were hurrying out the door and clamoring into the Camaro. Well, Charlie climbed into the Camaro. Danny watched Grace get into her car (a nice, safe, triple steel sided Toyota this time) before turning around. "Call me when you leave tomorrow and when you land, alright?"

"I will," Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss, nothing long or excessively languid, but firm and lengthy enough. Danny tugged away finally and nudged her nose with his. "Be safe."

Rachel nodded. "I'll see you in three weeks."

Ambling down towards his car, Danny made a slight detour over to Grace's, tapping on her window to get her attention from texting on her phone. "Do me a favor and throw that thing in the back seat, okay?"

"I'm not going to touch it while I'm driving, Danno, I promise." Grace smiled up at him, and Danny couldn't help but reach his hand in to brush it over her head gently. It was only a few months ago that he'd nearly lost this moment right here, seeing his little girl behind the wheel of her own car, because some asshole couldn't handle being told 'no'. "Yea, well, still. Humor me, okay?"

Grace sighed and rolled her eyes a bit as teenagers were wont to do, but she slid the phone in her purse on the passenger floor side. Danny nodded his approval; compromise was the art of the game with a 17-year-old, and he'd take it. "You wanna follow me to Uncle Steve's?"

"Yes!" Gone was the petulant teenager and in her place was a bouncy and excited young woman. Danny didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What, Uncle Steve gets all the excitement, but your dad gets the grumpy eyes?" He stood up, hand over his heart. "I'm crushed, truly."

"I love you, Danno!" Grace turned the key and the car came to life. With a smirk on her face, she revved the engine just a bit. "Maybe Uncle Steve can teach me some tricks with the car while Mom's gone."

"No."

"He's a good driver!"

"…Grace Elizabeth Williams, it's not good to lie, don't do that. And by no means repeat that in front of Steve." Danny patted the roof of her car and climbed into his own Camaro where Charlie sat patiently waiting. "Hey, buddy, take this," Danny handed Charlie his cell phone, "and call Uncle Steve. Tell him we're coming over, okay?"

If Danny had to define the word 'cute' he would probably do so with a recording of Khalid's shriek of happiness when Steve told him that Charlie was coming over. Danny couldn't help but grin as he watched his son talk with his uncle over the speaker phone with one eye while keeping the other on Grace trailing behind him. It occurred to him that perhaps he should keep at least one eye on the road, so he settled for listening to Charlie's excited voice as he made his way to his partner's house and pulled in the driveway about 15 minutes later. As Danny cut the engine to the Camaro and hopped out, he saw the front door open and Steve step out onto the porch, Khalid darting around his legs and running full tilt at the fence. Charlie wasn't far behind, and both boys were trying to figure out how to unlatch the lock to the door when Steve strolled over and flipped it up. Instead of getting the over eager greeting he usually got from Charlie, Steve watched the two boys as they began chattering away about… about… well, Steve wasn't exactly sure what about. Danny must have caught the bemused and slightly confused look on his face as he walked up towards the fence line carrying Charlie's overnight bag and backpack.

"Get used to it, babe; when they get older it's like they start speaking a completely different language."

"I heard that," Grace stuck her tongue out as she passed her father and slid in between Danny and Khalid to hug Steve tightly around the waste. "It's still light out; can I swim?"

The simultaneous 'no' from Danny and 'sure' from Steve produced a sigh from Grace and a casual, "I'm getting my swimsuit on" as she trudged up the sidewalk. "This is your fault," Danny grumbled. "She doesn't listen to me anymore."

"Pretty sure that has more to do with her turning 18 in a few months than it does with me, buddy," Steve nudged the kids to follow after Grace. "I've got burgers and hot dogs if you guys are hungry."

"Yes!" Charlie looked up at him. "I want a hot dog!"

"You want a hot dog? Charlie, you just ate dinner at your mom's, what're you talking about? And it's," Danny checked his watch, "it's past 7:30pm."

"Steve, I can – can I have a hamburger?" Khalid asked.

"I want one too!" Charlie again, and Danny rolled his eyes.

"You just said you wanted a hot dog," Steve laughed as they all walked inside the house, Charlie exclaiming quite emphatically that now he wanted both. Khalid, not to be undone, demanded the same. Steve only shrugged, much to Danny's annoyance. "I'm gonna make plenty, so eat what you want. Hey, Khalid, why don't you show Charlie your room, how we painted it?"

Two pairs of excited feet ran up the stairs and Steve and Danny meandered into the kitchen. "Where's Junior?"

"Oh, he's hanging out with Tani and Adam. They're getting together all of the boxes Adam used when he moved. Junior's place will be ready later next week, so we're gonna help him move in."

"We are, are we?" Danny sniffed. "And when and where did you volunteer me for manual labor?"

"At work a few weeks ago," Steve grinned at him. "It'll be fun; we'll take an admin day, pack up his room here, and then move him into his new apartment."

"See, you say it'll be fun, but I think you've forgotten how many times I've moved, Steven, and I can assure you that in the," Danny counted on his fingers, "six times I've moved during the decade I've been on this island, none of them have been fun." Steve rolled his eyes.

"You have not moved six times since you've lived here."

"Time number one," Danny hauled himself up on the counter while Steve pulled hamburger meat and hot dogs out of the freezer, "was actually moving to Hawaii and into that studio rat hole you kidnapped me from."

"Rescued you from," Steve corrected.

"Time number two was moving in here when the developers bought my building to turn it into a high rise. Time number three was when I tried to move into that apartment after the case with the hoo-hay-"

"-heiau-" Steve would never not get a kick out of that. "It's really not that hard to pronounce, Danny."

"-and I wound up having to move into the mold infested hotel that you not so sneakily tried to enter that one day, which was move number four." Danny got himself comfortable on the counter. "Time number five was when I moved into the apartment I shared with Gabby, and finally, the sixth time I moved is when I moved into my house that I currently live in." Danny held up six fingers. "Count em and weep, babe."

"Well, since you have all that experience, we'll just put you in charge of the everything and we should be done in no time." Steve grinned. Danny slumped.

"I hate you."

"Anyway, Junior will be coming home late tonight, but he'll still be coming home. You want to take the couch and I'll take the recliner? Grace can take my room."

"I'll take the recliner."

"Don't be ridiculous, Danny," Steve tugged the hot dog buns and hamburger rolls out of the bread bin before opening up the ground beef and starting to pound out patties one by one. "Take the couch."

"You won't fit on the recliner," Danny pointed out. "Unless you've found a way to fold yourself in half to the size of a normal person." Grace slipped into the kitchen, jean shorts and bathing suit on, and flip flops flopping on the tile. Danny knocked her leg with his foot as she walked by in greeting. "It's gonna get dark soon, so don't stay out for too long."

"Gracie, you want a burger?" Steve held up a patty and Grace nodded. "Just one though. I ate at Mom's. I think I'm just gonna go lay in the hammock till the food's ready." And that was that. Steve and Danny watched as she headed out the side door, and the latter could see his daughter as she made her way past the window. "She's getting like that more and more lately," Danny noted, eyes on Grace as she headed for the hammock.

"Like what?"

"Wanting to be alone, finding ways to be by herself," Danny leaned his head back against the cabinet. "She was fine at dinner earlier, seemed fine at least."

"She's almost an adult, Danny. When you were her age, did you want to be around your parents or your brother or sisters all the time?" Steve slipped the last patty on to a plate and washed his hands, drying them with a paper towel. He turned around. "You think it's something else?"

Danny only shrugged. He did think it was something else, but he couldn't say it aloud without getting into a conversation with Steve about him and Rachel. Grace had seemed fine with everything – keyword _seemed_. But unlike her parents, who made their disagreements at the smallest thing known to everyone far and wide, Grace tended to internalize any worries she had about things having to do with her family. She only chose to bring them up when she was ready, and Danny knew from experience that pushing her before then only resulted in his daughter digging in her heels and going quiet, and that, that was her mother's influence through and through.

Danny hopped off of the counter, telling Steve he'd get the grill going and sliding out the backdoor. After making sure the grill was prepped, Danny stuck his hands in his pockets and headed over to Grace. No, he wouldn't push her, but he knew there was something on her mind, and she needed to know that whenever she was ready, she could talk to him about it.

No matter what it was. And Danny had a pretty good idea he knew what it was.

"Anything good on Twitter?"

Grace finished typing something and let the phone rest on her chest, looking up at her father. "Lots of memes."

"Memes? That stuff'll rot your brain."

"They're funny – they're all _Endgame_ memes."

" _Endgame_ memes, okay," Danny sighed, "listen to me. You like Marvel. And I like Marvel. Okay, we like Marvel because that's the best franchise for superheroes, but do you know who disagrees with that? Huh?"

Grace had a somewhat amused look on her face. "The one who's making hamburgers and hot dogs?"

"Your Uncle Steve thinks that D.C. Comics has the better superheroes, so while I am sure that those memes are hilarious, you better not mention them around Steve because then I will have to listen to him for the rest of the night as he lectures me about why D.C. is better than Marvel."

"…I don't see how that affects me in a negative way," Grace grinned. "It actually sounds kind of entertaining." She out right laughed as Danny's face pinched. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that," he muttered. "So, I'll go ahead and leave you to your memes, but before I do, I just wanted to tell you one thing."

"What's that?"

"That there's nothing in the world that you can't talk to me about, no matter what it is," Danny watched her grin and happy demeanor fade away just slightly. He hated himself a little for it. "I've noticed lately that you've been sneaking away, isolating yourself a little bit. You tend to do that when you've got stuff on your mind, and I get it; you need time to think about whatever's going on in that beautiful, intelligent head of yours, but I just want you to know that no matter what it is, Grace, _no matter what it is_ , when you're ready to talk about it, I'm ready to hear it. Okay?"

"Okay, Danno."

"Okay," Danny sighed and glanced over his shoulder at the house. Steve was just coming out onto the lanai to start grilling. "By the way, Junior's gonna be coming home late so he'll need his bed. You wanna bunk in Uncle Steve's bed?"

"Where's he gonna sleep?" Grace's head lulled to the side a bit, the hammock swaying gently with her movement.

"He said the recliner, but I'm gonna make him take the couch."

"That's stupid."

"That's what I said."

"Why don't both of you sleep in his room and I'll take the couch?"

"You're not sleeping on the couch, Monkey; you deserve a bed." Danny shook his head. Grace rolled her eyes. "I'm totally fine sleeping on the couch, Danno, it's not like I haven't before, you know."

"No daughter of mine is gonna sleep on a couch when there's a perfectly good bed available."

"Well, maybe I don't want to sleep in a bed that belongs to Uncle Steve," Grace sat up and used her father as a crutch to get off the hammock without flipping over. "That's weird."

Danny laughed. "What's weird about it?"

"What's weird about me sleeping in Uncle Steve's bed when he's probably done more things than just sleep there?" Grace was so pointedly matter of fact about the implication that Danny could only sputter non-scenically. He didn't even register the, 'you've got to be kidding me, right?' expression she fixed him with. "See? Weird. So, I'll take the couch."

As Grace headed off toward the house and Steve, Danny managed to get himself under control and follow behind a few moments later. Steve glanced up at Danny, pausing in placing the meats on the grill. "Hey, Grace just said she wants to sleep on the sofa. I tried to talk her out of it, but she thought you and I could take the bed."

"Yes, that's fine, yes, good," Danny answered hurriedly, nodding his head up and down as if it were the most wonderful idea he'd heard in his life, or at least that week. "Sofa for Grace." He padded off into the house, leaving Steve to stare at him in wonder.

"S'not even that comfortable a couch," Steve shrugged, and closed the lid on the grill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grace with the logic bat, what can I say?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Danno, if you gotta talk shop with Rachel, fine, but can you do it someplace else?” Steve mumbled, not even turning his head to look at Danny.
> 
> “ _Danny, are you there_?”
> 
> “Yea, Rache, I’m here. I’ve just disturbed His Royal Highness, Prince Steven, from his beauty sleep,” Danny swung his legs out over the bed and stood up, tossing his pillow at Steve’s head as he left the room. “Babe, you there?”
> 
> Steve yelled “Make coffee!” as Rachel answered, “ _Yes, I’m here, I’m just_ …” 
> 
> “What?” Danny headed down the stairs and into the kitchen; coffee first, food second, just as God intended. At least in that, he would not argue with Steve.
> 
> “ _You were sleeping in Steve’s room_?”
> 
> Suddenly, Danny didn’t feel the need for coffee quite so strongly anymore.

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Alright. Whose bright idea was it to move into an apartment in the middle of the summer?" Lou half glared at Junior, who, he was glad to see, was sweating just as much as he was. "This couldn't have waited until September or October?"

Tani side stepped Lou with a box in hand. "Hey, it could be worse."

"Explain to me how this could be worse."

"It could be July or August?" Tani shrugged and lifted her long, dark hair off of her shoulders, fanning her neck with her free hand. "Or, it could have been during last year's heat wave."

"I'll take a heat wave over a cold snap any day," Adam popped his head out of the bedroom. Steve was on his heels, with Danny bringing up the rear. "That's crazy talk," Danny muttered. "Give me 30-degree weather with snow any day."

"Now _that's_ crazy talk," Steve pointed at his partner. "So, it's a little warm, so what? Khalid's not complaining, you hear him whining at all?"

"Khalid's not – the kid's sitting in the middle of the living room organizing books, Steve, he's not lugging boxes and furniture up two flights of stairs in the middle of a hot day!"

"It's in the 80's, Danny."

"The heat index is in the 90's, Steve."

"Well," Tani folded her arms on top of one of the boxes as she watched Steve and Danny go at it. "At least you won't have to hear this 24/7 anymore." She tossed Junior a side glance and he grinned back at her. "Gonna miss it a little bit, actually."

"It's not like they won't do this at the office either," Adam pointed out.

Tani considered that. "True."

The ring of someone's cellphone went off and all six adults in the room checked their pockets. "Bingo," Steve announced, holding the phone to his ear. "McGarrett."

" _Commander McGarrett, this is Ms. Neela with Honolulu Social Services_."

A rock, cold as ice, settled in Steve's stomach. "Uh, yea, hi… look, right now isn't the best time-"

" _I'll be quick, Commander. I just wanted to let you know that we've found a suitable foster family to take Khalid in_."

Steve swallowed, ran a hand over his face, looked over at Khalid who was still sitting on the floor busy organizing the different books and comics Junior had tasked him with. Social Services had said a few weeks, right? This was a little soon, wasn't it?

" _Commander_?"

"Yea, uh, sorry, that's… Yea, that's not gonna be necessary." Steve ignored the looks a few of his team were throwing him.

" _I'm sorry_?"

"I said it won't be necessary," Steve moved out of the living room and into the bedroom. Danny trailed after him, haunting the threshold of the doorway as he leaned against the wood lining and stuck his hands in his pockets, listening silently. "I'll keep him. Khalid can stay with me."

" _Commander, with all due respect, this is a child we're talking about here, not a puppy_."

"Yea, and this is a kid who's still part of an active investigation and who may still have people coming after him, trying to take him back into a dangerous situation."

" _All the more reason why he should be in the care of Social Services, Commander. We deal with traumatic family units quite frequently_."

"This isn't your typical 'traumatic family unit', okay? This kid is the son of a guy who, at least for part of his life, was the heir to a very sophisticated terrorist network, and both of his parents are now out of the picture. They're not just going to give up on getting Khalid back. They're going to send people after him, and there is no foster family that you can conjure up that can or would be prepared to deal with that. These people… they'd murder everyone in that house just to get Khalid out." Steve slid a hand down to his waist, and Danny could see the thumb of his opposite hand holding the cellphone inching closer to the bottom of the phone. The conversation was almost done, but the lady on the other end of the line, she didn't know that.

" _Commander, I really must insist. Khalid has been through an extremely stressful experience_ -"

"-which is all the more reason for him to stay in the safest place possible, and that's with me – with Five-0. He's in protective custody, and that's where he's gonna stay."

" _Due respect, I can't help but question if this is for Khalid's benefit, or for yours, Commander McGarrett_ ," came the woman's clipped voice. " _I understand you may have developed a bond with the child, but that bond does not supersede what is best for him. He needs to be in a stable home with a family available to him that can tend to his trauma in a calm, supportive atmosphere_ -"

Steve was done and threw down his trump card. "I'll have the Governor's office contact you with a signed order directing your department to stand down on Khalid. He's in protective custody until Five-0 determines he no longer needs to be." Steve pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call, resisting the urge to toss the mobile through the wall.

"Okay, so, I take it we're gonna have to buy Khalid some more stuff," Danny pushed off the door and inched forward until he was standing in front of his partner, looking up at him. "Protective custody, huh?"

"He's basically been in protective custody since we've had him. Now I just sign a couple documents and make it official."

"Steve."

Steve couldn't avoid Danny's gaze forever. He got his bearings by staring at the ceiling before giving Danny his full attention and was surprised when he didn't see even a hint of condemnation for his actions. Worry maybe, concern certainly, but not condemnation. "No home they find is gonna be safe enough for him, Danny," Steve murmured. "All those people we're watching, any one of them would have no problem taking out a family just to get that kid back."

"I agree, but I think it's more than that, babe." Danny didn't push more than that, and he didn't have to. Steve was primed enough after that phone call to let it all out. And he would've, if Junior hadn't popped his head into his unmade bedroom to check on them. "Everything okay, Commander?"

"Yea, Junior, everything's fine," Steve assured him, glancing at Danny. They'd discuss this later, when Khalid wasn't around, when the team wasn't around – not that Steve didn't trust them implicitly; he did. But there were some things he'd only ever be able to confess to Danny. Steve moved out of the room, leaving Junior and Danny behind and tossing a "anything else to move up?" over his shoulder. At Junior's questioning look, Danny just shook his head and followed behind.

By midafternoon, everything had been carried into Junior's new apartment, and Khalid had sorted all of the books and movies and video games and explained excitedly to Junior exactly how he'd organized them while Lou and Danny squabbled in the kitchen over where to place everything from plates to silverware to the coffee maker. "I'm telling you, put it right here, right in the main entrance way to the kitchen, man." Lou was insistently stabbing the counter with a finger. "He's got a straight line of sight from the hallway right in here."

"Yea, but if Junior is anything like Steve, he's gonna head for the balcony and open the doors up to let some fresh air in right after he wakes up, and then, his route is going to be from the living room through this entrance right here," Danny waved his arm over the threshold of the second entry point into the kitchen. "He can put the blender over there where you, very mistakenly, want him to put his coffee maker."

And so it went until Tani kicked them both out of the kitchen and made the executive decision to place the coffee maker next to the toaster. The glare she gave both Lou and Danny heavily suggested that they leave it there.

"Well," Lou muttered, once Tani was out of ear shot, "I guess we better listen to the lady of the house."

Danny's only answer was a bob of his head as he left the kitchen. "Alright, I'm starved. Who wants food; Tropics?"

Hands and voices were raised in agreement and it wasn't long before the whole group, which now included Charlie since Danny had stopped to pick him up from daycare, and Grace and Will, after Will had texted his father and Lou told them both simply come to the restaurant. Khalid waved wildly at Will when he and Grace walked hand in hand up to the table and sat down, Will making sure to pull out his girlfriend's chair and allow her to sit first.

The kid absolutely did not feel Danny Williams' gaze on him at any point in time. He'd swear to it in court. Seriously.

The food was good, and the company was better, even if Danny had a front row seat to his daughter and her boyfriend making 'goo goo' eyes at each other. Soon enough, it was time for the party to break up and for everyone to head home. Khalid was currently slumped in his chair, having missed his normal midday nap. The excitement and food were eventually too much for him and he snoozed away, not waking even a little as Steve picked him up and settled his head on his shoulder. Danny watched while steering Charlie in front of him. "You coming over?" At Steve's unsure look, Danny plowed ahead. "He can nap in Charlie's bed for a little while before you take him home." No way was Steve getting out of the talk Danny wanted to have with him. Accepting his fate, Steve nodded his head.

The drive over to Danny's was longer than normal thanks to the rush hour traffic, but before long, Steve was settling a still sleeping Khalid into Charlie's bed. Brushing tender fingers over still baby soft skin and hair, Steve stood up straight and headed into the living room. He held out a fist to Charlie, who was sitting on the living room floor with some toys and a few books. "Thanks for letting Khalid use your bed, buddy." A loving bump, code for 'you're welcome', tapped against his knuckles and Steve left Charlie to head into the kitchen where he knew Danny was waiting. "Alright," he leaned against the counter. "Let me have it."

"Have what?"

"Have what?" Steve blinked; was Danny kidding? "Khalid, Social Services, me telling them to go screw themselves."

Danny grinned and opened up the fridge. "I'm not gonna let you have it."

"…then why am I here?"

"I just want to make sure you know what you're doing, that's all." Danny let the fridge door swing shut and uncapped a beer for Steve and one for himself too. "You love that kid, Steve."

"Danny-"

"No, c'mon," Danny shook his head, "I'm a father, remember? I know what that face looks like when you're completely head over heels for your kids. I wear it quite a bit myself, when I'm not trying to figure out the latest Generation Z language Grace and Charlie are jibber jabbering." He stretched over his food prep counter a bit, fixing Steve with a look. "But."

"Here we go," Steve muttered, taking a drink.

"But," Danny held up a finger, "I want to know what your intentions are."

"You want to know what my intentions are?" Steve deadpanned.

"I do, yes."

"Okay, you realize we're talking about a parental slash surrogate slash guardian to child relationship, right?"

"I do, thank you for pointing that out, which is why I'm asking you – what is your endgame?"

"My endgame? This isn't an Avengers movie, Danny."

"Steve." And 'banter' tone was gone, replaced by 'this is serious, Steve' tone. "You told Social Services that Khalid's in protective custody; how long are you going to keep him there? How long are you going to keep him with you? What are you going to tell the Governor when the Director of Social Services calls her and complains that one of her agency head's is running circles around his department and keeping him from doing his job?"

Steve picked at the label on his bottle, batting the answer back and forth in his mind. "The safest place for Khalid right now is with one of us," he answered finally. "Social Services can't do for him what we can, can't protect him like Five-0 can. You and Lou already have kids, Adam and Tani are young enough where they don't want the responsibility, Adam's feeling things out with Tamiko, Jerry's laid up and… I mean, I love Jerry, but…"

"Mhmm," Danny watched him carefully. "So, you just took the hit for all of us then, huh? That it?"

"No! It's – it's not taking a hit, Danny. Not even close." Steve huffed out in frustration. "For the longest time, I never thought I'd be a dad. I never thought I'd have the chance, the opportunity. After Catherine, that dream just kind of faded away. And I was okay with that for a while. And then all of this happened, and Khalid needed some place to stay, because God knows his parents won't be around for at least a couple decades, and _yes_ , I had a hand in that, Danny." Steve fixed him with a look, silently telling his partner to not argue the point. "I don't blame myself, not really, not for what his parents did. They did what they did and they'll suffer the consequences for it, but meanwhile there's this… this adorable, sweet, scared little kid whose just looking for someone to take care of him and love him and tell him that everything's gonna work out." He swallowed a bit, eyes blinking away emotion rapidly.

"I know this was only supposed to be for a few weeks, but I didn't figure I'd get so…so…"

"Attached?" Danny offered.

"Comfortable," Steve sighed. "Attached, comfortable, content… Danny, I'm _happy_. That kid's filled a hole I had somewhere inside, and maybe I knew it was there, maybe I didn't, but I know it's filled _now_."

Danny quirked his mouth from side to side. "As long as this isn't some mis-placed guilt of yours, feeling like you have to take care of Khalid because of your involvement with his parents. This isn't even halfway like Doris and Wo Fat's parents, babe. You're not your mother. You know that, right?"

Steve nodded. He did.

"Okay," Danny folded his arms. "So, we gotta start planning. You'll need a lawyer."

"A lawyer? For what?"

"You're gonna wind up adopting that kid, Steve. You know it. I know it. You'll need a lawyer."

"I don't… I haven't even thought that far ahead, Danny."

"I know. That's why I am doing that for you. And you, my friend, I say once again, will need a law-"

"Lawyer, yes," Steve's voice echoed in the kitchen with Danny's, his stomach twisting in a knot for a few brief seconds. "You think they won't let me keep him?"

Danny only shrugged his shoulders. "I think you have a much better chance of keeping Khalid with you if you get legal advice now. I'll give you the guy I used." _When I was in the middle of my divorce with Rachel and she wanted to take Grace to Las Vegas without me_ was left unsaid. Steve pursed his lips and nodded once. "Now that Junior's moved out, I was thinking about turning his room back into a guest room for Gracie."

"Oh yea?"

"What do you think about bunk beds for Khalid's room? You know, for when Charlie sleeps over?"

"That depends; whose buyin'?" Danny gave his partner a shrewd look. "You actually gonna carry your wallet out of the house and swipe a credit card to buy a bunk bed? The mattresses? Box springs, extra sheets, pillows, all that good stuff?"

Steve missed the joke completely for what it was and instead took the questioning as a sign Danny had his doubts about Steve's idea. "Do you think Charlie would like it? Or should I maybe get him another twin bed?"

"Babe, stop. First of all, you're not buying Charlie a bed for your house, okay; if anyone buys Charlie another bed, it's gonna be me, because I'm his father and that's my responsibility, not yours."

"But I'm Uncle Steve," Steve folded his arms over his chest stubbornly. "The kids stay at my place a lot, Danny. They should have their own spaces, or at least their own beds – and speaking of beds, what about you?"

"What about me?" Danny picked up his beer and took a long drink. This was not where he thought this conversation would go tonight, but he was pleasantly surprised that it had, and he decided to stick with that and not wonder why this felt like the most natural discussion in the world to have. It simply was, and there was no point in questioning it.

"You can't keep sleeping on the couch, Danno. Your back, your knee, it's all gonna get out of whack."

"Well, I'm not going to kick you out of your bed."

"We've bunked together before and it hasn't been a problem."

"Yes, out of necessity, when there wasn't any other option!" Danny set the bottle down on the counter and inched towards Steve, hand in his pockets as he thought quietly to himself. "I'll get an air mattress," he suggested.

Steve nodded. Fair enough. "What about the boys?"

"I dunno," Danny shrugged. "Halvsies? Wanna ask them what they want? Bunk or another twin?"

"Deal. Excellent suggestion, partner. Good job." Steve grinned and Danny couldn't help but chuff out a soft laugh. "You know… if this is something you really want, keeping Khalid for the long haul, you know I'll do whatever I can to help you, right?"

Steve was immeasurably gratified by that, and stepped into Danny's space, hugging him tightly in silent thanks, unable to push words past the tightness in his throat. Danny seemed to understand and held his partner just as tightly. It was there in the quiet of the Williamses' kitchen that Steve realized if he had nothing else in his life other than Danny, Grace, and Charlie, and hopefully Khalid, he would have no complaints for the rest of his days.

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Alright, that's all the video games," Tani leaned back on her hands and examined the entertainment center in front of her. It seemed as if Junior had every first-person shooter game known to mankind, and then some. "You know if any of these are McGarrett's, he's gonna break into your apartment just to get them back, right?"

"Nah, he likes playing the old school games these days; Donkey Kong, Mario, flight simulators…" Junior stood just behind her, his knees playfully bumping against her shoulders. "I'll take him as my back-up in the field anytime, but as my partner on spec ops mode playing Call of Duty…"

"What?" Tani tipped her head up to look at him, brown eyes blinking up at him with mischief. "You're saying our Navy SEAL boss can't hack it in a video game?"

"I'm saying his forte in firearms is more polished in the field than on a television screen." Junior knocked her shoulder again with his knee. "Thanks for helping me move in. You didn't have to come back here afterwards."

Tani shrugged, uncaring. "I wanted to. Besides, better that it was me and not Danny or Lou."

"Yea, I heard them arguing over where to put the coffee maker," Junior laughed, walking around her and towards the sliding glass door that opened up to his tiny lanai.

"Well, I set them straight on that. Coffee makers obviously go by the toaster. It's, like, the law."

"I never had one before I lived with Commander McGarrett, and he uses a French press most mornings."

"Yea, well, Danny has refined taste in coffee, as we well know," Tani pushed herself to her feet. "McGarrett probably bought it just for him." She ambled over to the lanai and slid open the door. "Gotta say, not a bad view."

"Not at all," Junior murmured in agreement behind her. It was possible he wasn't talking about the city scape. It was also possible that Tani heard the flirtatious lilt in his voice; a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"I was talking about this, out here," she waved an arm through the air indicating the colorful sky that was an explosion of reds, pinks, and oranges as the sun continued to set below the edge of the horizon. "You got a great deal." Tani let her arm rest on the lanai railing. Junior didn't respond; she knew what he would say regardless, so there wasn't really a need for him to. That jumbled feeling in her stomach, the kind that tended to rise up when she and Junior were alone made its presence known. She cleared her throat softly. "It's awesome how close to the beach it is – I mean, it's running distance, like a mile away, but for you that's practically a couple of feet." She felt him move closer behind her, not in a suffocating way, but enough for her to know exactly where he was, and she knew he was giving her the option to step away, create some distance if she so chose.

She did not choose.

They continued to look out over the balcony, watching the sun dipping further and further beneath the horizon until early dusk finally settled on the island and the first stars poked out from behind the clouds, shining brightly. Junior dug his phone out of his pocket.

"You remember that song we danced to at the wedding?"

"Yea," Tani looked over her shoulder, saw him with his phone in his hand. "What about it?"

Junior tapped the screen a few times and set his phone on a small table in the corner of the lanai, and a familiar, raspy voice and strumming guitar poured into the air around them. Tani recognized it almost immediately, having thought of the song more often than she cared to admit to anyone. "Joshua Radin, huh?"

"' _Only You_ '; it's a classic," Junior inched towards her, settling his hands gently on her hips.

"You're rather suave this evening," Tani settled against him, resting her hands on his arms.

"Yea, well, new apartment, new digs – they do that to a guy," Junior swayed gently, bringing Tani right along with him in an easy dance of left to right, side to side. He grinned even wider as she softly laughed. He didn't think there would ever be a moment in time, from now until the end of his life, when he didn't warm just that little bit more at hearing Tani's voice.

"It's a big day," Tani agreed quietly, "I'm really happy for you, Junes. You deserve this - no, stop that," she pointed a finger at him, at his bashful face. "You deserve this. You've worked really hard for it."

"Well, maybe," Junior lifted a hand and gently took her finger with his hand, sliding it along to fit over his own and grip it softly, giving her ample opportunity to pull away. She didn't. Junior took that as permission to slip his other arm around her waist and the two of them fell into a loose, informal ballroom pose with nothing but the soft strums of a guitar from Junior's cellphone and the occasional breeze to be felt on the otherwise peaceful patio.

"Two dances in one year," Junior murmured when the song started over again.

"I'm feeling generous," Tani laughed, resting her forehead against his. She took a breath, let it out, then took another one. Junior could tell she was working her way up to saying something and he didn't push; he simply held on and continued to lead her in their little impromptu dance.

"You know I'm not – this isn't…" Tani blew out a frustrated huff, "I'm not leading you on, or playing hard to get it or – I mean, you know that, right?"

"I know."

"It's just the whole… the whole relationship thing, the 'lean on me' thing, I never really got that memo. Granted, I've never been the best judge of the guys I've dated, I mean, Damien was… he was a piece of work, and I knew something was off about him, I knew it but I either – I don't know, I either didn't want to believe it or maybe early on I just believed he'd never get me involved in what he was doing, but either way, what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry if-"

"Don't," Junior stopped cold and pulled away just enough to look her in the eye. "Don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. I know you've gone through some stuff, Tani. You don't owe me any explanation. Besides, all that stuff? It's made you who you are today, and who you are today is someone I care a lot about." Junior lifted a hand, holding her cheek with just the tips of his fingers. "I didn't mean to make you feel pushed or awkward or any of that-"

"No, I know. I know." Tani pursed her lips, her forehead seeking his again and took a breath. "I don't feel pushed. Or awkward. Or any of that."

Tani was more surprised than Junior when her lips softly touched his. They stuttered against one another, uncertain and nervous before Junior tugged Tani towards him just enough, just that little bit to make it easier for them both, to give Tani the footing she needed to run the show. Junior knew, instinctively, that she had to control this moment, and he was more than happy to let her and simply enjoy the feel of her mouth pressing against his. Before long, one of his hands was on Tani's hip and the other was cradling the side of her jaw while her lips seared themselves against his own. Junior drank her in, accepted everything she was offering, but never pushing for more.

When Tani finally pulled back, Junior let her go, soothing her cheeks with his fingers and studying her calmly. "Okay?"

Tani nodded. "Yea. Okay… probably should go soon."

"Long day," Junior agreed, "and we have to work tomorrow."

"Yea," Tani ducked her head, "God, I won't be able to look Lou in the face tomorrow morning." At Junior's questioning look, she rolled her eyes. "He gave me the birds and the bees talk at Jerry's party."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Yea, uh… Commander McGarrett talked to me before I moved out a few weeks ago." Junior knew he was blushing, could feel the heat on his face as Tani slowly grinned at him.

"Work is going to be pretty unbearable for the rest of the week."

"Yep," Junior stepped back, pulling her with him into the apartment, "it really is."

**Hawaii Five-0**

Work was, indeed, unbearable for the next few days, but that had more to do with the triple homicide Five-0 landed and less to do with hazing Junior and/or Tani for any steps in their relationship they may have made. The crime scene was one of the more grizzly ones they'd seen in the last few years; three adult males, all shot execution style in the back of the head, but not before their murderer (or murderers, as Adam was postulating if the multiple sized footprints he'd found were any indication) had a little fun with them first.

Danny winced as he took in the electrical burns on the chest of one of the victims. "Looks like barbeque was on the menu. Just what I want at 9:00 on a Thursday night."

Lou wrinkled his nose. "Really, man? That's gross. It's bad enough one of the neighbors had to wander in here and see this. All the poor guy was trying to do was check and see why the front door was wide open and he finds a scene out of _Unsolved Mysteries_ live and in deceased color." He stood up fully from where he'd been kneeling next to one of the bodies. "So, what do you think?"

"Too messy for a Yakuza hit," Adam said immediately. "When the Yakuza want someone dead, they just kill them."

"And if the Yakuza want information from the victims beforehand?"

"Then we wouldn't find them in a house in the middle of a community for the wealthy and affluent," Adam responded, circling the body. "And we wouldn't find them split up. They'd be executed together, right down the line, one right after the other, and then dumped."

"Okay, so then not Yakuza." Danny looked around. "I gotta say though, this looks really, really personal. Like, betrayal personal."

"That's because it probably is," Steve appeared at the top of the steps. "We got an ID on the two guys up here; Kevin Carmagio and Philip Ricci."

"Oh, don't tell me…" Danny watched as Steve descended the stairs with what appeared to be two wallets in his hand.

"'Fraid so," Steve's feet carried him down the steps and right to Danny who was waiting for him, hand outstretched for the wallets. "Italian mafia. Junior and Tani ran the names when I called it in. Anthony Carmagio is the youngest son of Michael Thomas Carmagio, head of the Carmagio family in New Jersey. Philip is his cousin."

"Okay, so then who's this guy?" Lou pointed at the man on the floor. "We didn't find an ID on him."

"We haven't finished searching the place either," Adam pointed out. The four of them fanned out, each taking a room and investigating every nook and cranny until Lou called out from a nearby, downstairs bedroom. "Think I got it," he emerged from the room, another wallet in one hand while pulling his cell phone out with the other. "Giacinto Gallo. I'll get Junior and Tani on the phone."

While Lou wandered off to a corner of the room to make the phone call, Steve, Danny, and Adam coalesced next to the body. "Danny, do you recognize the names at all?"

"Carmagio, yea. Anybody in North Jersey that's worked organized crime is gonna recognize that name. That family's probably 70, 80 years old by now. When I was with Newark PD, the Carmagio's were mostly part of the drug and gun smuggling ring. They owned lots of restaurants and banquet halls; that's where a lot of the business deals would take place." Adam was nodding his head along as Danny spoke.

"The Yakuza and the Cosa Nostra aren't all that different in processes," he scratched his cheek. "Really, the biggest ways the two organizations are different are how they deal with 'problems'."

The trio continued to trade theories until Lou made his way back over to them. "Okay, so Giacinto Gallo is a soldier of the Carmagio family as well. He's got a sheet, minor stuff really – petit larceny, busted for weed, couple of bar fights, things like that, nothing major."

"So, we have three members of the same crime family all found dead on an island 5000 miles away from their home base." Steve walked around the now dead and ID'd Giacinto Gallo, taking in the living room they found themselves in. It was a nice place, built for those who had money and wanted people to know it. The bedrooms upstairs were just as classy and elegant as the one downstairs, all plush carpet, expensive and textured concrete in lay in the walls, and pure oak furniture. "This house has to belong to someone. They probably rented it; I doubt the Carmagio's have a place in Hawaii of their own." He dug his phone out, dialed a number, and hit the speaker phone.

" _You guys didn't find another body we need to ID, did you?_ " Tani's voice came through the phone loud and clear.

"No, not a body, a house," Steve held the phone a bit, the better for his voice to travel. "I need you to see who owns this property. You ready for the address?"

" _Yea_."

"14574 Niu Valley Terrace."

" _Nice area_ ," she commented. " _Alright, the house is owned by King Properties. They're a national real estate chain specializing in vacation rentals for the rich and connected. They have an office on Oahu it looks like_."

Danny stepped up to the phone. "Who has the listing on the house?"

" _A guy named Aaron Hirono, but_ …" She trailed off, and the others could hear her muttering as she (assumedly) scoured the information.

"But? But what?" Adam pressed.

" _He's not the agent that leased the house for this time period. The last time Hirono leased the house was about two months ago for a three-week period; it's been vacant for almost the last five weeks_."

"Tani, does King Properties have an office in New Jersey?" Lou asked. Danny raised a brow; good thinking.

" _Yep, they do. They have an office in Newark_."

"Alright, Tani. See if you can get us a list of all the employees at the office on Oahu and the one in Newark. We'll finish up here and come in." Steve cut the phone and slid it back into his pocket.

"Just what I wanted for the Fourth of July," Danny muttered as he followed his team out of the house, leaving HPD to clean up the scene. "A mob war on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific, where I just so happen to live. Great."

"I refuse to have this case go into next Thursday," Steve stopped just outside of the Camaro, piercing Danny with The Look, the look which meant 'I don't care if I have to go sleepless for the next few days, this case is getting solved'. "Khalid's never experienced Independence Day, and I'm taking him to the ocean front to see the fireworks." Behind him, Lou let out a laugh, pausing by the SUV.

"You mean you're not setting mortars off in your back yard, McGarrett? I'd have thought you wouldn't waste the opportunity to teach that kid how to detonate explosives."

"Lou, he's only, like, five years old. When he hits double digits, we'll talk about homemade ordinance." With a grin, Steve opened the door and slid into the car, shutting it firmly and leaving Lou to blink in fascination. As the Camaro pulled away, Lou glanced over the hood of the SUV at Adam, who had an amused expression of his own. "I didn't hear that wrong, right? He basically just said that Khalid was gonna be around for at least the next four or five years? Living with him?"

"Nope. You didn't hear that wrong at all." Adam climbed into the SUV and Lou followed suit, continuing to talk as he buckled up. "You know this is dangerous."

"Very."

"McGarrett has a kid that he can teach all his tricks of the trade to."

"Yep." Adam turned the engine over and followed the Camaro out of the driveway.

The team worked well into the weekend and it was Steve's first experience in having to explain to a disappointed and anxious child why he likely wouldn't see him until Sunday morning at the earliest, but Steve's savior came in the form of one Renee Grover, who took not only Khalid, but Charlie and Grace into her home for the weekend while Five-0 busted their tails combing through phone lists, family rivalries, and potential suspects until they finally caught a break. It was just after 8:00 on Saturday evening that said 'break' announced itself.

"Got something," Adam barreled into the bullpen, a ream of papers in his hand. By the time the rest of his caffeine pumped and exhausted teammates gathered around the smart table, Adam had already prompted several photos to display on the various screens hanging in front of them. "Alright, so remember when we were thinking that the number one family rivaling the Carmagio's were the place to start?"

"The Andresano's, yea," Danny folded his arms over his chest and resisted the urge to lean against Steve, who was standing next to him and seemingly the only one out of the group who still resembled a somewhat hale and vital human being. "Those two families have a long beef with each other."

"Right, and we thought that since several of the Andresano's worked with the King Properties office in Newark that they'd be a good place to start, and they were, because they led me to do this," Adam swiped a hand on the table upwards, and another photo came into view. "Remember when we talked to Newark PD and they got the emergency warrant that gave them access to all of King Properties servers? When I was on the phone with one of the forensics techs, I asked him to send me a list from the server of all the logins, either on site or remote, from the last three months." Another swipe of Adam's hand and said list appeared in black and white.

"These are all the employees that would have access to the system?" Steve asked.

"Among them, all of the real estate agents who would have had access to booking and lending properties," Adam confirmed. "There was one username that logged in four times within the last three months and whose history included looking at the specs on the house at Niu Beach. Now, that username belonged to a guy named Christopher Andresano, but after doing some digging, the tech and I are pretty sure he wasn't the one logging in."

"So, what are you saying?" Lou looked over Adam's hunched shoulder at the list of logins, a look of utter befuddlement that could only come from someone nearing the age of 50 who was trying to understand the subject that was sophisticated computer hacking of the modern era. "That someone not affiliated with the Andresano family booked the house for the Carmagio's with this fake login?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Adam tapped a command into the smart table and two new faces popped up. "This is Robert Pinto on the left, Andrew Roman Toscano on the right. Once the tech from Newark and I had made the login connection, he checked what's called 'cron jobs' for unusual input commands and found that not only were those logins linked to booking the house, but that they were accessed using public Wi-Fi, something that a nationally renowned real estate agency which has access to hundreds of thousands of clients' information would never allow. Sometimes it was from a coffee shop, other times it was from a local mall, but at least one of the times they logged in, we were able to get screenshots of their faces and match them up to facial recognition, which is how we were able to identify them."

"Okay, but why would two guys not affiliated with the Andresano family want to take out three members of one of the biggest mob families on the East Coast, that's what I don't get," Danny now did take the opportunity half lean on the table, half lean on Steve; the latter looked down and only got an eyeful of blonde hair.

"Because Robert Pinto and Andrew Roman Toscano went to prison on drug running charges a few years back." Adam looked around at his captive audience. "Anyone want to guess who they were running drugs for?"

"The Andresano's," Tani pursed her lips. "And looking at their sheets, they've only been out of jail for less than a year. The Andresano family must have let them hang."

"They've probably been planning this for a while," Junior hummed. "They both had four years to sit and think about it." He glanced at Danny. "You mentioned that the mafia keeps most things in the family, but their last names are different from the Andresano's."

"Uh, yea, that can be for a bunch of different reasons. It could be their mom's the blood relative of the Andresano's but they'd traditionally have their father's name, or they could be punk kids from the street that were looking for something to join and the Andresano's found them and took them in, trained them up – not very well, but still," Danny shrugged. "Soldiers for the mafia can come from anywhere. They like to keep it in the family, but sometimes it's just as beneficial to have someone that isn't a blood relation to do the dirty work Of course, the downside to that is when someone isn't family gets hung out to try and they come back a few years later and try to frame the family for the murders of members of a rival family that they didn't commit."

"Keeps their hands clean," Tani murmured. "The only thing we're missing is how the victims got hooked up with our suspects, and why would our victims stay at a rental property knowing that a rival family has a lot of employees that the property is owned by?"

"Those are all good questions Newark PD can ask them when they pick these guys up; this is more than enough to bring them in on," Steve cleared his throat. "Nice work, Adam."

"Thanks, but… well, you'd think we could call Newark PD and have them handle it, but our oh so intelligent, likely murderers are actually here on Oahu."

Lou broke the five second silence, his look of utter disbelief shared by the rest of the group. "You gotta be shitting me."

"I am not." Adam's hand swept with a flourish once more and two airline tickets appeared on the screen, identification attached to each one, only this time, the faces were not attached to the names Robert Pinto or Andrew Roman Toscano. "They flew in on Monday of this week under the names Brian Stafford and Greg Hutchins. Our victims flew in Thursday morning, and by Thursday night, they were dead. Pinto and Toscano are scheduled to fly out tomorrow morning."

Anyone who looked at Steve could tell he was two seconds away from gearing up and shipping out. Danny almost told him to heel as if he were an over eager Labrador. "Do we know where they're staying?"

"They must have used a different credit card to check into a hotel. I ran the card they booked their plane tickets on and nothing came back from any hotels, motels, or any of the other vacation rentals on the island," Adam's frustration was visible and evident in his voice.

"Unless they're not staying at any of those places," Danny murmured, glancing up at Steve, whose enthusiasm had dimmed somewhat. But hope sprung eternal in Steve's eyes at his partner's words. "What do you mean?"

"Your sister was here earlier this year and she didn't stay at a hotel either."

"An Air BnB," Junior snapped his fingers, and Adam was already pulling up the site. "They're entirely web based, and we don't have the kind of access we enjoy with the hotel chains on Oahu."

"Alright, call them," Steve was already moving towards the armory and continued talking over his shoulder, "give them the same credit card numbers Pinto and Toscano used to buy their plane tickets. If they don't want to play ball, tell them you have a direct line to the Governor's office and any hope they have of loosening restrictions on their company in Hawaii to provide their cheap rentals that make them a lot of money? Tell them that's dead in the water if they want to make us go through a judge on a Saturday night to get a warrant."

It took 45 minutes of dialing and phone hopping and arguing before the team finally got somewhere, and only when Adam actually lost his patience and could be heard yelling throughout headquarters for the vice-president of whatever to either confirm the credit card numbers, or lose any chance of not only the company's expansion in Hawaii, but other states Adam had various contacts in. At Lou's expectant 'I-Told-You-So' expression, Danny sighed dramatically and dug into his pocket to pull out his wallet and hand over a 20-dollar bill, glaring at Adam as he finally got off the phone. "You couldn't have waited, like, a couple months to blow your top? Three months and it would've been a year and I'd be the one putting money in my pocket, but no. You had to be the schmuck who lost his temper before your one-year anniversary."

Adam offered a somewhat apologetic response while Lou, with great fanfare, stowed his newly acquired cash safely in his wallet just in time for Steve to make his way over. "We good?"

"We're good. Pinto and Toscano paid for their rental with the same credit cards they used to pay for the airline tickets." Adam was graced with a grin of victory from Steve, who quickly ordered everyone to suit up and be ready to go in ten minutes.

"And all of this because they got on a public Wi-Fi where security cameras were up and working," Tani shook her head.

"Hey, no one ever said soldiers in the mafia were smart," Danny retorted.

It was a Saturday night and traffic held them up, but about 25 minutes later, Five-0 was parking their cars a block away and making their way to the rental home on foot. Thankfully, their suspects had chosen a vacation spot where the homes had a substantial amount of space between them, but the usual cautionary pep talk was held before they approached with loaded weapons. Adam and Junior took the back, Tani and Lou each took a side of the house, and Steve and Danny took the front.

" _Alright, I got a firearm with what looks like a suppressor sitting on the table in the room past the living room_." Lou's quiet voice transmitted through the earpiece. " _And Pinto just came into the room; he's strapped_."

"Flashbangs," Steve ordered quietly, knowing the rest of the team were readying their own. Danny was already in front of the door with his back to it, fully prepared to mule kick his way in. "Pull pins and deploy on three," he looked up at Danny, making sure his partner was ready. "One… two… three."

The shattering of glass, the explosion of the grenades, and Danny's swift and loud kick to the door all happened within seconds of each other. Steve and Danny moved into the house, well-oiled and clearing the first room before moving into the second where they found Pinto on the floor, gun in hand pointed in their direction.

"Robert Pinto, drop the weapon!" Steve's voice echoed Junior's and Adam's voices as he heard them ordering someone else, likely Andrew Toscano, to do the same, but Pinto, the moron, didn't listen. Instead, his finger squeezed the trigger and a bullet grazed Steve's outer right thigh. Danny charged in with a swift kick to the guy's face, disarming him mercilessly while Steve steadied himself. "Thanks," he managed, wincing. He'd been shot plenty of times before, but bullets to the leg were especially painful, not to mention disabling. While Danny handled cuffing Pinto, Steve hobbled towards the back of the house. "Guys?"

"Clear," Lou answered, shoving Toscano in front of him. The guy hit the wall, and Steve could see the second the murderer spotted the wide-open front door which was why he was ready when Toscano tried to make a run for it. Steve tackled him to the ground, grunting in pain as his injured leg took the brunt of the fall. "Ow," Steve rolled on his back once Lou and Junior had a hold of Toscano, whom they promptly dumped right beside Pinto, cuffing his wrists and binding his ankles. "There you go, turkey," Lou stood above both suspects. "Try to get out of that."

"I actually wouldn't try that," Junior advised as Adam and Tani entered the room. "We're clear," Tani announced. "Found another gun upstairs, a couple of laptops." She tilted her head, looking down at Steve. "Guess I'll give EMS a call."

"It's just a scratch," Steve pulled himself up and leaned against the wall, setting to removing his thigh holster. Danny made his way over to kneel next to him, inspecting his partner's wound. "Yea, Tani, call EMS," he ordered, and he was happy to see the woman immediately dig her cell phone out to call it in, completely ignoring Steve's protests in the process.

"Danny, this isn't bad, I can patch this up at home."

"Steve," Danny looked at him. Steve slumped. "Fine," he muttered, "but I'm not staying the night. We need to pick up Khalid."

"Babe, it's…" Danny looked at his watch, "…after 10:30pm. By the time we get you to the ER and have you patched up, it'll probably be one in the morning at least and trust me, you wake that kid up in the middle of the night, you'll never get him back to sleep."

"Then we better get a move on," Steve pushed himself up and Danny automatically moved to make himself a crutch for his partner to lean on. "Cancel the EMS, you can just drive me there. It'll be faster."

"Steve, you know me and Renee don't mind having the boys and Grace for the night." Danny could've sung Lou a sonnet of gratuity for him stepping in at the moment. And it was the fatherly wisdom Lou continued to share that made Danny think perhaps the next time Lou fed him Chicago deep dish pizza that he'd at least act like he enjoyed it. "Get yourself straight. You and Danny can get them tomorrow morning. Besides, and I say this as your friend, but if you wake my wife up to get the kids, you're on your own with her with whatever you get."

Steve swallowed. "I see your point." But he still seemed uncertain. "I just…"

"We'll go over bright and early tomorrow morning to get him," Danny promised.

"Renee's usually up by seven," Lou offered. "She texted me and said the boys were having a movie night, so they'll probably still be asleep past then anyways. Go to the hospital, get that wound treated, go home and get some sleep. We'll see you both tomorrow morning at nine, okay?"

Steve finally relented, knowing when he was beaten, though he would never tell Danny or Lou that they'd been the ones to convince him. No, the promise of an irritated, sleep-interrupted Renee Grover did that. With assurances that the others would handle the crime scene, call HPD, and get their suspects situated, Danny bundled Steve into the Camaro and took off for Queens Medical Center, calling ahead to let them know they were on their way.

Every hospital on the island was more than familiar with Five-0, but Steve McGarrett had a special relationship with every emergency room and infirmary in Hawaii. Queens Medical was no different, as Steve recognized three nurses as he was wheeled in ("Danny, I can walk!" "Steve, sit down and shut up."), and the doctor who cleaned, sutured, and wrapped his leg was one who had seen him before. "At least this time it was a graze from a small caliber bullet and not the cannon ball from that drone that almost shredded your femoral artery a few years ago." That the doctor could actually categorize and find the silver lining in Steve's long history of injuries drove Danny absolutely batty, and he knew Steve was purposely ignoring the glares Danny was sending his way by chatting up the doc and telling him about far worse injuries he'd gotten.

That walk down memory lane did nothing to ease Danny's tired and irritable disposition, but Steve and the physician had quite a time going back and forth, and by the time Steve was patched up, signed out, and paid up, it was going on 2:00am when he was wheeled back out to the Camaro by Danny and a nurse.

"I'm gonna tell you this one time; I'm taking you home, and then I'm sleeping for 12 hours at least." Danny steered the car out of the roundabout and pulled into traffic, heading towards Steve's house.

"So, does that mean I get Khalid and Charlie?"

"No, you idiot," Danny rolled his eyes, stifling a yawn. "Like I'm gonna leave you alone and crippled to watch two boys run circles around you."

"I'm not crippled, Danny, I told you; it's just a scratch."

Danny chose not to respond to that declaration, mostly because he knew it was a losing battle, but also because he was just too damned tired. He cruised easily into Steve's driveway and brought the Camaro to a stop, turning off the engine and getting out, walking around to the other side of the car to help Steve up the drive.

"You crashing here tonight?" Steve asked as they got through the front door. Danny pushed it closed with his foot and locked it, taking the liberty of the setting the alarm.

"I thought I would, yea. Sounds like a better idea than crashing into a telephone pole."

"Don't even joke about that," Steve muttered, letting Danny help him up the stairs and into his room. Danny eased him down on the bed and stepped back to run his hands through his hair while Steve shoved his cargos off. Once Steve was clear of the cloth, Danny helped him lift his leg onto the bed and Steve laid back with a satisfied sigh of grateful thanks.

Danny smirked. "You're welcome."

"You sleeping here?"

"You already asked that," Danny rubbed his eyes, blinking down at his partner.

"No, I mean in here, are you sleeping up here?"

The thought hadn't occurred to Danny, but now that Steve mentioned it, the idea of having to navigate his way back out of the room and down the stairs wasn't very appealing. Decision made, Danny dropped his own pants and stepped out of the legs, kicking the trousers off to the side and pulled off his button-down shirt, leaving him in boxers and a t-shirt, and trudged over towards Steve's bed. His partner graciously moved over to the other side, letting Danny slide between the sheets, an appreciative groan escaping his lips. "Set the alarm for 8:00am so we can get the kids," he muttered.

"Already done. Besides, I'll be up before then anyways."

"Crazy morning person that you are."

Steve chuckled, dropping off to sleep in a matter of seconds with Danny not far behind him.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Morning came sooner than Danny would've liked. He rolled over, blinking his eyes open and running a tired hand down his face, wondering to himself why the bed felt firmer than it normally did before remembering he'd slept in Steve's room. He groaned, closing his eyes again before looking over to the side. His partner was still sacked out next to him, not snoring exactly but breathing deeply enough that a tiny 'hm' emanated from Steve's side of the bed. Danny allowed himself a grin; it was adorable, he couldn't help it.

The sound of a cell phone going off filled the room and Danny sighed inwardly, realizing it was his. Seeing his phone on the dresser on Steve's side of the bed, Danny sat up and reached over Steve, jostling him to wakefulness and pulling back when Steve pushed at him. "Yea, yea, yea, just let me get my phone and you can go back to sleep."

Steve grumbled and turned his face away while Danny answered. "Hey, Rache."

" _Hello, Danny; I didn't wake you, did I_?"

"You know you did, I don't even know why you're asking," Danny sat up a little more and rested against Steve's headboard. "What's up? How's the trip?"

" _Oh, it's going fantastic. I have wonderful news_!"

"Oh? What is it?"

" _I'll tell you when I get home. We can celebrate_."

"That good, huh?" Danny chuckled. "Why not just tell me now?"

" _I prefer to keep you in suspense_ ," Rachel blithely answered. " _For once I know something you don't know. It's fun_."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. Have it your way."

" _How are the children? They're getting on alright_?"

"Oh yea, they're fine. They spent the night at the Grovers' house last night."

" _Late case_?"

"Multi-day case, late case, case from Hell, take your pick." Danny tilted his head back. "We left the kids with Renee yesterday and we're picking them up later this morning."

" _I suppose Grace stayed over as well then_?"

"Yea. Renee said she'd put a bolt on her door if it made me feel bet- hey, hey, you-! Stop that!" Danny smacked at Steve's flailing arm which was beating against his shoulder. "What is the matter with you?"

" _Danny_?"

"Danno, if you gotta talk shop with Rachel, fine, but can you do it someplace else?" Steve mumbled, not even turning his head to look at Danny.

" _Danny, are you there_?"

"Yea, Rache, I'm here. I've just disturbed His Royal Highness, Prince Steven, from his beauty sleep," Danny swung his legs out over the bed and stood up, tossing his pillow at Steve's head as he left the room. "Babe, you there?"

Steve yelled "Make coffee!" as Rachel answered, " _Yes, I'm here, I'm just_ …"

"What?" Danny headed down the stairs and into the kitchen; coffee first, food second, just as God intended. At least in that, he would not argue with Steve.

" _You were sleeping in Steve's room_?"

Suddenly, Danny didn't feel the need for coffee so strongly anymore. "Yea, well, it was past two in the morning when we got in last night and Steve got shot in the leg and I had to help him upstairs and I really didn't…. you know, feel like trying to go back downstairs to an uncomfortable couch, so…." He trailed off. What seemed like sound reasoning five or so hours ago when he'd been stone exhausted didn't seem quite so sturdy in the bright light of morning.

" _Right… Well_ ," Rachel sounded amused; better than pissed, Danny thought. " _I certainly don't want to get in the way of your… what do you Americans, call it? Your bromance_?"

"Oh jeez, here we go," Danny muttered, but Rachel continued on without acknowledging him. " _So, I'll let you get to it. Tell Charlie and Grace I love them when you see them_."

"I will. See you next weekend." Danny ended the call as he heard Steve stumbling downstairs, unusually bleary eyed and sluggish moving. "In the ten years I've known you, I don't think I've ever been awake before you, unless I never went to sleep in the first place."

"This time doesn't count. My leg hurts."

"Well, you got shot, so that doesn't surprise me. What actually surprises me is that you're admitting that it hurts," Danny hopped up on the counter and drummed a beat with his bare feet against the cabinet door beneath him while the coffee brewed in the machine nearby. No French press coffee for him this morning; he needed every ounce as soon as possible.

"How's Rachel?"

"She's okay. She's excited about something, said she had some news, but she wouldn't tell me what."

Steve furrowed his brow. "Why not?"

Danny shrugged. "She wants to surprise me when she gets home, I guess. But she insisted everything's good, so it's nothing to worry about."

Steve wisely kept his mouth shut about that and puttered around the other side of the kitchen island, stiff leg and all, to grab two mugs out of the cupboard. Danny watched him lazily. "Next time she sees you, she might make fun of you."

"Why?"

"She heard you yell at me while I was leaving your room – said she didn't mean to interrupt our bromance."

"Our _bromance_?" Steve limped over to the coffee pot and grabbed the handle, quickly exchanging the pot for the cup and holding it under the coffee which was dripping at a fast clip out of the filter. Danny snickered to himself as he watched his partner pull a move that he'd learned from Danny years ago and hopped off the counter to grab the milk and butter from the fridge. "Yep, our bromance."

"We don't have a bromance," Steve muttered, turning just enough to slide one cup onto the kitchen island, which Danny took and scooped some butter into and slid back towards Steve before accepting the second cup a few seconds later and pouring some milk in.

"That's very true; most people say we have, or have had at least at some point, a marriage."

"Huh," Steve turned around, took his coffee mug, and brought it to his mouth while he leaned on the island. "If we got married, I definitely don't remember getting a divorce."

"That would be my second divorce, babe."

"Can't have that," Steve hobbled around the island once more while Danny nodded his head in agreement. "Oh, hey, I forgot to tell you – I ordered a second twin for the guest room."

"Steven, really –"

"It'll be here before the Fourth of July; Charlie'll love it."

"I – wait a minute," Danny furrowed his brow, "that was a pro-husband move you just pulled there. Maybe Rachel's onto something with his bromance thing."

Steve snickered. "Yea, well, if we have to fight over you, I'm winning, hands down."

Danny lifted one curious blonde eyebrow. "Is that right?"

"I need you here in the mornings," Steve made a face as if he'd just sipped Heaven itself from his mug. "You make better coffee than me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little case of the week to break up the monotony of family and fluff! Let me tell you, researching computer crimes and how to figure out where and how someone logged on to what device and how you could see irregularities in log on’s made my eyes hurt, but I got some really neat info out of it, so it’s not all bad.
> 
> And of course, we have these hints, these little moments between Steve and Danny that they’ve always had but have never batted an eye at because it’s just been who they are with each other…. Could there be something in that? :D
> 
> And yes, if the surname ‘Gallo’ for one of our victims sounded familiar, it’s because I stole it from _My Cousin Vinny_.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What happened, Danny?" Steve whispered. "What happened?"
> 
> For a long while, the only sounds in the small room were the dryer vibrating against the floor, Danny's stifled crying, and Steve's voice whispering quietly that everything would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Independence Day!! Fireworks, Steven, fireworks!
> 
> Yes, that's a Lord of the Rings reference.
> 
> Yes, it's also pretty much the only one I know from those movies :D

**Hawaii Five-0**

Independence Day came, and with it, Charlie's new bed for when he would stay over at Steve's place. Danny brought Grace and Charlie over and the latter was more than happy to bounce up and down a few times on his new mattress (Khalid helped) to 'break it in'.

"You do that with shoes, Charlie, not with a bed," Grace said at one point, but Charlie thoroughly corrected his sister, telling her that he had to soften it up because it was brand new and 'way too hard'. So long as the boys didn't crack their heads on the floor, Grace didn't care one way or the other and she stayed with them while they dutifully put the new bed through its paces until it was time to leave and meet the rest of the team at the ocean front.

Steve had promised Khalid fireworks, and after dinner at the Hilton consisting of steak, shrimp, lobster, pizza, and every other dish known to man, fireworks were exactly what Khalid had for a little over 30 minutes. The group had left their table to stand right on the beach to watch the show, and Khalid was still small enough that he could sit on Steve's shoulders. Steve couldn't help the huge grin he had on his face as he listened to the excited chatter of the boys, and when he bumped Danny with his arm and asked him to take Khalid, Danny hoisted the boy up on his shoulders and Steve grabbed Charlie, settling him where Khalid had been so the kids could talk to each other on the same level. Danny was especially grateful that Lou was keeping an eye on Grace and Will, who were standing a little further down the beach, angling for as much privacy as they could get with their parents hanging around, and he felt a little pang of sadness; it was one more reminder that his little girl wasn't so little anymore.

"Hey."

"Hm?" Danny glanced up at Steve, holding onto both of Khalid's excited feet so that the kid wouldn't inadvertently kick him in the face.

"You see Tani and Junior?" Steve nodded over to where their colleagues were standing. No one would be able to tell if they were standing in front of the two, but from Steve and Danny's vantage point they could clearly see Junior's hand resting gently on Tani's lower back, flashes of blues and reds and greens and whites from the fireworks show illuminating their figures. The two were watching the fireworks show and talking with each other, heads leaning just that much together that involving anyone else in their conversation wasn't even a blip on their combined radar. Danny watched them for a few more seconds before inching a little closer towards Steve. "It's a good thing we never really had any fraternization rules."

"Never really needed them."

"Nah, just that time with you and Cath, but you two knew how to handle yourselves."

Steve hummed in agreement. "I talked to him. Lou talked to her. I don't plan on doing anything more than that unless there's a reason to."

"You sure that's the right thing?"

"What do you want me to do, Danny? Tell them to stop? You can't turn off how you feel about somebody. It's not like a light switch you can flip on and off."

There was an underlying message in Steve's words; Danny could sense it, but he didn't push the matter any further. Down that road led a conversation he was becoming more and more sure he wanted to stave off for as long as possible, but not a conversation with Steve – it was Rachel he was thinking about.

Or not thinking about, as it were, at least for the last two weeks that she'd been gone. Yes, he'd missed her; yes, they'd been enjoying their time together recently; yes, the family nights were unbelievable, by far the best part of Danny's decision to rekindle things with his ex-wife. But…

Well. But.

Danny was just as comfortable with Rachel being away from Hawaii as he had been before she'd left. Sure, he missed her, but there was no urgency to see her come home, no passionate need to call her every single day and talk with her for as many minutes as they both could spare. There was no spark. The happiness and excitement at a reconciliation had, at least for Danny, died down to a soft, constant beat which pulsed beneath the surface.

" _Danny_."

He looked up at Steve, who had his head cocked to the side. "You good? Where'd you go?"

Danny shook his head, waving a hand at his partner that he was fine, to let it go. This was supposed to be a fun night, for Khalid especially – God knew the kid deserved it – and he wasn't going to get into his own inner thoughts on his and Rachel's fledgling relationship tonight. He and Steve and the rest of the group watched the fireworks until the last few rocketed into the sky and exploded in a blinding array of rainbow colors and different shapes for the show's finale.

"Alright kids, that's it."

"It's done?!" Khalid sounded horrified. "No more?"

"No more, buddy, that's it," Danny easily lifted the boy off of his shoulders and set him on the ground, biting back a smile at Khalid's disappointed face; he looked absolutely crestfallen. "Don't worry; they'll have another fireworks show here later this week. They have lots of them during the summer, not as long or as involved as this, but still pretty neat."

"I want more fireworks," Khalid pouted and looked over at Steve, who was busy working Charlie down from his own shoulders. "Steve, can we see fireworks again? Danno said they have more soon!"

That request spurred Steve into action, and as the large group was walking through the Hilton to get to their various cars, Steve stopped off at the host stand and picked up a schedule of fireworks for the rest of the tourist season. He got outside just in time to hear Danny calling for Grace to get to the car so they could head home, and Steve could see the reluctance in her shoulders as she pecked Will on the cheek and headed over to the Camaro. Chalking it up to nothing more than young people not wanting to say good night just yet, Steve headed over towards Danny, taking Khalid's hand as soon as he was near.

"You want to bunk at my place tomorrow night?"

"Uh… Rachel's back this weekend, this Saturday…"

"We can still stay at Uncle Steve's, Danno," Grace pointed out, looking at her uncle. "Can we stay the whole weekend?"

"No, you can't stay the whole weekend, Grace; Mom's coming on Saturday. I just said that." Danny nudged her a little bit. "She hasn't seen you guys for three weeks, she'll wanna catch up and all that."

"Yea, and you two will want to 'catch up' too," Grace replied, quoting her fingers in the air; Danny nearly had a stroke at her words right in front of her. "Me and Charlie can stay with Uncle Steve and you can pick us up on Sunday or we can get my car sometime this weekend and I'll drive us over Sunday morning."

Danny recovered enough to say, "We'll discuss it" and packed his kids in the Camaro while Steve picked up Khalid. "Probably yes to tomorrow night; Charlie will want to try out his new bed. He hasn't stopped talking about it since he jumped all over it." Danny ignored Steve's Cheshire grin and moved to the driver's side of his car. "How much was that bed, anyways? I need to know how much to pay you back."

"I don't know," Steve shrugged.

"You don't know?"

"I don't remember."

"That's a very different answer than 'I don't know', Steven," Danny opened the door and propped a foot inside of car. "You realize I'm a detective, right? I detect; specifically, I detect fallacies and lies and deceit as a detective, so perhaps you could either remember the cost or find out the cost so that I can at least give you half of what you paid for the bed for my kid."

Steve just grinned. "See you tomorrow!"

**Hawaii Five-0**

It turned out Steve keeping the kids for Saturday night was the right call, because as much as Rachel missed her children and wanted to see them, as soon as she learned she and Danny had the evening to themselves, dinner was bypassed in favor of a more horizontal reunion. Currently, her head was pillowed on Danny's chest, chestnut hair spread out over him and mixing in with the waning blonde curls on his torso.

"How did you manage while I was gone?" Rachel dragged her chin over Danny's chest to look at him, brown eyes twinkling, but she caught him staring up at the ceiling. She tapped him gently with a finger. "Danny?"

"Hm?" Pale blue eyes rolled from the ceiling down to meet hers. "What's up?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine," Danny covered. "What did you want to tell me?" And if Rachel noticed the quick change of subject, she didn't say anything. If anything, she smiled brightly, and Danny felt himself grin back at her. "You said it was good news."

"It is good news, _very_ good news," Rachel crawled up his body a bit to rest her head next to his on the pillow. "The new office will open in Los Angeles in September. There are a few more departments that have to get set up and new employees who need to be trained, but we're live in just a few months."

"That's good, that's great," Danny pressed a kiss to her hair. "I know you worked really hard on that."

"I did. And a few others noticed too," Rachel bit her lip. "Danny, they want me to take over the Los Angeles division. They want me to head it up, run it. They'd promote me to a Vice-President role in the company, the payrate is substantially more than what I'm making now – Grace and Charlie would be completely covered for their college expenses – and the stock options aren't too shabby either."

As Rachel rattled on and on about the benefits of the promotion, all Danny could hear was his heartbeat pounding out a panicked rhythm in his ears. He was sure she would be able to hear it, if only she'd stop talking long enough to listen.

"So," he interrupted, "uh… what does that mean?"

"What do you mean what does it mean?"

"I mean… you know the office is in L.A., so obviously you'd be there a lot, you know, you can't get a promotion and not be at the office for at least a few weeks-"

"A few weeks? Danny, we'd move. We'd be living in Los Angeles," Rachel propped herself up on a milky slim arm, looking down at him. "We'd be back on the mainland; it's less expensive, you'd be able to visit your family in New Jersey more, and Grace and Charlie would be able to see their cousins regularly."

"I… yea, but…" Danny's face must have broad casted his anxiety because Rachel's brow furrowed. "I don't understand; I thought you'd be happy for all of that, happy to move back to the mainland."

"I am, I am, I am very, very happy for you, and I am so proud of you that you have this opportunity, okay? I know how hard you work."

"But?"

"… I, you know, I've made a life here for the last ten years, Rachel. The kids have made their lives here. Yea, I might not be able to visit New Jersey as often as I like, I might not be able to see my parents as much as I'd want, but I've got family here, you know? I've got a job here that I enjoy, that I'm good at. Steve's here, and the kids love him, Rache, they really, really do. They're probably having the time of their lives over at his place right now." Danny rolled his lips together as he looked at her, studying her face. "It's – I know you said it was good news, but I guess I wasn't expecting that it would be news that meant upending our lives here to move across the Pacific."

Rachel was sufficiently subdued now. Her eyes no longer held the happy lines at the corners and there was no playful smirk on her lips. "I suppose… we can think about it and talk later then? But, Danny, I have to tell you… I want to take this job. I really do. I've earned it, I've worked hard for it…." She pursed her lips, watching him quietly.

"We'll talk about it," Danny finally sighed. "I promise, we'll talk about it. You know I'd – I won't keep you from doing what you want to do, Rache." He brushed a stray strand of brown hair out of her uncertain eyes and watched as she rolled over and backed herself up into his arms. But she didn't fall asleep for some time.

And neither did he.

**Hawaii Five-0**

"She wants to what?" Steve's heart practically stopped as he stared at Danny.

"Move," Danny muttered, rolling his beer bottle between his hands. He didn't even feel the cold of it anymore, nor the condensation coating his hands, not through the dread and anxiousness he was feeling. "She got offered a promotion, a big one – a vice-president of a division in her firm, but the office is in Los Angeles. She really wants it, Steve." He looked at his partner, sad and conflicted. "And I'm proud of her, I am. I want her to have everything she wants, but… and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't even fathom moving to L.A. I can't."

Steve gazed at him quietly for a few moments, taking it all in. When Danny had asked Steve if he could come over for beers at his house, he didn't think this was the mid-week conversation they'd be having, but here they were, set up outside on the lanai, the better to keep an ear and an eye on Khalid. "So, what are you gonna do?" He did his best to keep the nervousness out of his voice, because Steve knew, he knew that regardless of what happened between Danny and Rachel, wherever Charlie went, Danny would follow, just as he'd done with Grace.

"I don't know." Danny looked miserable. "I never would have come to Hawaii if she hadn't taken Grace out here with Stan ten years ago. I picked up and moved my whole life once already, you know? And not that I regret that; I would've done anything to see Grace. Anything." Steve nodded understandingly.

"But I've got a life here, a good life," Danny continued. "I know I joke about it all the time, but I'm settled here. This place isn't so bad once you get used to the sand and the ocean and the sun and the half-naked people walking on the boardwalk all the time... this is my home now. This is the kids' home now. I mean, Grace is gonna go wherever she's gonna go for college, but Charlie was born here, he's gone to school here, made friends here. I remember what uprooting Grace did to her. I don't want to do that with Charlie."

"Alright, okay, so, maybe she takes the job in L.A. and works there for a few weeks and then comes home," Steve suggested, taking a sip of his own beer. "High level executives do that all the time. If the company wants her as bad as she says they do, if they want to promote her to that level, I'm sure she can work something out."

"Yea, maybe," Danny mumbled, staring at the ground. Steve watched him zone out, go somewhere in his head. Come to think of it, he'd seen Danny doing that pretty frequently these days. He blew out a slow breath before speaking again. "Danny, is there something else? Something else you're not saying?"

The guilt in Danny's eyes nearly knocked Steve out of his chair, almost made him drop his beer. "I didn't really miss her while she was gone, Steve." Danny's whisper could barely be heard over the waves coming from the ocean in Steve's back yard. "I wanted her to come back, I wanted to be able to have the family dinners again, spend time with the kids again, be a family, but just her? That way you're supposed to feel when someone you're involved with is away for days, weeks, months at a time and then they come home, and you see them again? I didn't feel it, Steve. When I talked to her, it was like I was talking to an old friend, not a girlfriend or anything more."

"Did you tell her that?" Steve asked softly.

Danny shook his head. "We haven't really talked much since Sunday night when we had dinner with the kids. We haven't told them yet either, so uh, if you could not mention it-"

"I won't, of course not, Danny." Steve swallowed. If he were being honest, it wasn't something that he wanted to spend a lot of time thinking about. He had to ask the next question, he had to make sure. "So… you don't want to move to L.A. then?"

"I don't want to stop her from pursuing her career, but if her job is gonna take her to Los Angeles, then… then I don't think that's a place I can follow her. But if I don't follow her, then I'm breaking up the family, and-"

" _No_ ," Steve's rebuke was quick, almost vicious, "no, you are _not_ breaking up the family, Danny. Okay, Rachel did that when she came out here a decade ago. You're not breaking up anything. What are you supposed to do? Move some place where you have no family, no network, no friends for a second time because it's what Rachel wants? Again? You did that already, Danny! You shouldn't have to do that again!"

Steve saw that Danny was staring at him, surprised by the sudden emotional outburst from his partner. Steve didn't get worked up, he didn't wear his heart on his sleeve like Danny did. But the thought of Danny leaving Hawaii to move to California? That terrified Steve, more than most anything else had in a very, very long time.

"I know," came Danny's answer, voice soft, placating. "I told her we'd talk later this weekend."

Steve swallowed, nodding his head. "What are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know." Danny shook his head sadly, bowing his head to stare at the ground. He felt sick. "I don't know. I uh… I know what I feel like I should tell her, but…"

"Yea," Steve flopped back in his seat, setting his beer on the table between the chairs. He had no appetite for it now, or much of anything really.

"Thanks, babe."

"For what?"

"I know you've been against this thing with Rachel from the start, but here you are still listening to me and this mess I've gotten myself in, and-"

"Danny, no, come on," Steve got up to stand in front of his friend. He towered over him actually, so he bent at the knee, coming eye level with Danny. "Yea, I had concerns, but I told you I would always be there for you with this, with anything, no matter how things went. I… I hoped that she could make you happy, that you could have your family back together because you wanted it. And I get it, man, I do; you had to try, you had to know for yourself." Danny didn't say anything, only nodded and idly peeled the label from his beer bottle. "Are the kids staying with Rachel tonight?"

"Yea," Danny cleared his throat, taking a breath. Steve didn't miss the sniffling sound either as his partner breathed in. "She hasn't seen them for three weeks so, she wanted them for the next couple days."

"Well, you still have work clothes here. Why don't you just stay the night? Take the guest room?" Steve really, truly did not want Danny going home to an empty house tonight. He'd seen where that had led in the past. Granted it was years ago, back when Danny was still finding his way after having moved to a state with a culture so vastly different than the one he'd been used to, but there was no reason to tempt fate in Steve's opinion. Luckily for him (and rarely, which was how Steve knew how bad off his partner was), Danny wasn't in an argumentative mood. He only nodded and continued to stare at his beer bottle.

"C'mon, buddy," Steve stood up, tugging Danny along with him and leading him to the house, and hopefully to some peace and sleep as well.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Danny knew the conversation wasn't going to go well. That was a foregone conclusion from the moment he sent Charlie upstairs to play in his room and saw the telltale reluctance in Rachel's eyes as she turned and led him into the kitchen. It had taken him a few minutes to ease into the discussion but his relationship with Rachel had always been such that she'd been able to tell when he needed to say something that he didn't particularly want to say, and when she'd finally snapped and said, "just say what you need to say, Danny" he came out with it, word after sentence forming a speech of regret, trepidation, and pain until it was all laid out as bare as the granite table top between them.

"So, that's it then? You won't move to Los Angeles even though you've said on many occasions how much you dislike living here, and I'm supposed to give up a wonderful opportunity that will secure our future, our children's future?" Rachel hadn't lost her bite, not in the 20 years Danny had known her and certainly not now as she stood on the other side of the kitchen, a pristine food prep counter between them as cold as the look in her eyes. Danny thought it was rather appropriate; a large mass representing the gulf of difference between the two of them.

"I don't want you to give this up. I want you to have this, I know how hard you've worked for this, Rachel, I do. But there's… I can't move to Los Angeles, Rachel. I can't. We can't uproot Charlie like that; he has a life here." Danny took a breath. "And so do I."

"You're proposing that I leave my son and take a job 3,000 miles away?"

Danny wasn't sure if it was the shock on her face or the indignance in her voice that roused his temper, but either way, he felt it peek out from under its always carefully crafted wall. "Hey, at least I'm talking to you about this, trying to have some kind of conversation about this before just up and making a decision, alright? That's more than what you gave me when you brought Grace out here-"

"For God's sake, Danny, I have said I'm sorry over and over and over again. I've told you in great detail how wrong that was, that I regretted staying with Stanley afterwards!"

"And I appreciate that, but it doesn't change the fact that it happened!" Danny jabbed his finger into the kitchen island, hardly feeling the stab of pain. "It happened, and I learned from that, and so did you, and that's why I'm here now trying to talk to you about this, about how we're going to make this family work if you take the job in Los Angeles!"

"What do you expect me to do, Daniel?" Rachel planted her hands on her hips, halfway glaring across the room at him; Danny ran a hand over his hair. "I don't know, I was thinking… I was hoping that maybe you could alternate working a few weeks in L.A., then come back to Hawaii? I'd keep Charlie while you were gone and we could all spend time together when you were home-"

" _Spend time together_?" Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Do you honestly expect me to go for weeks at a time without seeing my son?!"

"Rachel-"

"And _spend time together_ , what do you mean by that? It's like you're – "

Danny saw the exact moment when the light bulb went on and Rachel realized what this discussion was truly entailing. "You want to stop seeing me."

He stood quietly, slipped his hands into his pockets, lips rolling nervously over and over, just looking at her.

"So, what was Saturday night then?" She asked snidely. "A goodbye shag?"

"No," Danny shook his head, his voice rough. "That – I wanted that."

"But?"

"… I wanted to be a family again, Rachel. I did. And I thought you were a key part to that – you are a key part in that. But," Danny licked his lips, anxiety rising in his stomach and chest, his breathing tight. "But I… I didn't like how I felt when we weren't together. I didn't like that I felt like I couldn't talk about this with anyone, with Steve, even though no one's said anything against it, really-"

"Steve hasn't said anything against it; you really expect me to believe that?"

"Hey, he was concerned, okay?" Danny snapped. He saw Rachel quirk an eyebrow at that, but he ploughed on. "He definitely had questions. Who wouldn't after what we put each other through? But after I explained to him where I was coming from, what I was thinking, feeling, he was with me in lockstep a hundred percent. So, don't bring him into this, don't do that."

Rachel looked like she had a retort locked and loaded, but she swallowed it, at least for the moment in favor of saying, "You're basically saying you were ashamed of me, of us."

"No, that's not what I'm saying."

"Then _what are you saying, Daniel_!? Because I'm finding it difficult to follow!"

"I'm saying that I wanted to try this out with you again because I wanted Charlie to grow up with both his parents in the house!" Danny's voice matched his ex-wife's in both anger and volume. "I wanted Grace to see that two people could forgive each other and still love each other and work things out even if it takes years! I wanted to see if we still had what we had when you first ran into me, after that night we spent together when that hurricane came through-!"

"Well, Daniel, we've been sleeping together for a while now! When were you planning on saying that this was little more to you than a good time and let me down? Or was this job offer in Los Angeles your perfect opportunity to pick your friends and your job and your partner over me? Again?!"

"That's not fair!"

"No, it's not!" Rachel slapped her hand down, almost wincing at the force of the strike against the food prep counter. "It's not fair, you're absolutely right! I don't know why I expected anything to change; you're still more dedicated to your job, more dedicated to your friends, more dedicated to your work partner than you are to me, than you are to our family!"

"Says the woman who wants to move my kid to the mainland to take a job and expected me to just follow right behind her like I did the last time! That's rich, Rache," Danny laughed, but it was hardly humorous, coming across more like what acid itself. "That's real rich. And by the way, lemme just make very clear right here and now; take this job, don't take this job, it's entirely up to you, but Charlie stays right here."

"Oh, really? We'll just say what my lawyer has to say about that then." If there was one thing they both had in common, it was never backing down from a challenge and having a stubborn streak a mile wide up and down their spines, the combination of which having led to some of their worst moments. Danny supposed they could tack this moment onto that list.

"Yea, we will," Danny growled. "Don't test me on this Rachel. Not this time. Last time, I had nothing. You left me for Stan, kicked me out, I spent weeks in a motel drinking myself to sleep every night with Matty. And then you moved out here, unilaterally, not _once_ consulting me about Grace and how I could continue to be a father to her if you were living out here, so I moved to Hawaii, and I had nothing. Again. No family, no network, no friends, no money, and you had everything; all the money, all the power, all the lawyers." He stepped up to the food prep counter, his finger jabbing viciously into the surface.

"I am telling you now, Rachel; it's different this time. I have money in my savings account, a stable, decent paying job, and friends that would do anything in the world for me. You know it was Steve who sent Governor Jameson to Stan that day when you'd threatened to change my visitation? What do you think he'd do now that he has ten years on a statewide task force and the all connections that come with it? He'd give them to me, all of them. I wouldn't even have to ask, he'd just go Navy SEAL ninja on me and he'd call them himself and tell them he'd owe every single one of them a favor if they just do this one thing for him, for _me_ , and make sure my son stays here in Hawaii." He huffed out a breath, taking in her expression, which was partially blank and something else he couldn't decipher. Danny couldn't tell if he was getting through to Rachel or if he was only making matters worse but at the moment, he honestly couldn't care less.

It was funny how he didn't realize he'd needed to say that to her until it was out and in the air between them.

"I will fight you this time, Rachel. I will. If you make me fight you for custody of Charlie, I will fight you in every courtroom in Hawaii, in Los Angeles, name the jurisdiction and I'll be there, and Rachel, I'm telling you now: If you force me down that road, I will tell them _everything_. I will tell them what you pulled with Grace when we got divorced. I'll tell them what you did to me with Charlie."

Rachel swallowed, wetting her lips. "How many times," she croaked, "are you going to pay me back for that? How many times, Danny? I have told you repeatedly how sorry I am for that! I've apologized countless times for how I handled the divorce and Grace and all the rest!" She took a breath, and Danny could see her eyes swimming, but she wasn't going to let the tears fall. His chest tightened as she continued.

"And how many times are you going to bring up Steven? What does he have to do with any of this, other than the fact that you spend more time with him than you do with me? Should I be worried about him too, now? Like I was worried about Grace?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which Grace Rachel was referring to, and Danny's stomach rolled at the mention of his now deceased ex-partner.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, Daniel Williams. You're many things, but unintelligent isn't one of them." She sniffed, regaining her composure, regaining her ground. Round two was beginning, and the argument had now shifted. Just like old times. Rachel was practically sneering at him. Danny steeled himself in return. If it hadn't gotten ugly already (and it had), it was about to reach the point of no return.

"Did you really think I didn't realize how you felt about her?" She looked at him, waiting for him to answer. "Did you really, honestly believe that when you and I were having our problems that I didn't see that you were taking her calls more often, texting her while you were talking to me? That I know that you were leaving the house early and coming home late because you enjoyed being with Grace Tillwell more than your own wife?"

"If you're trying to infer that I was unfaithful to you, Rachel, then you're wrong. I never cheated on you."

"You never slept with her, you mean," Rachel laughed bitterly.

"Well, you would know all about the ins and outs of infidelity better than me, wouldn't you?" Danny shot back.

"As if you're so innocent? I seem to remember you sleeping with another man's wife, or did you forget how and when Charlie was conceived?"

"No, and neither did you when you lied to me and told me your conception date was off and that he was Stan's kid!"

"And now here we are again, with me questioning where your loyalties and dedication and priorities lie – with me, or with your partner," Rachel barreled on. "Didn't Melissa question your priorities a few times? Didn't she ask you on more than one occasion why you spent so much more time with Steve than you did with her?"

"Oh yes, by all means, bring my ex-girlfriend into it now, because you know so much about that relationship."

"I know what my daughter tells me," Rachel smirked haughtily. "So, what is it, Danny? Because I have a feeling your reticence now about our reconciliation, which, let me just say, is going so swimmingly well, has less to do with how you feel when we're apart and what your friends think of this and more to do with you actually being happier with the way things were prior to our getting on again. So, I'm sorry you can't have your cake and eat it too, but I will not play in the backseat while you run off with your partner, with Steve, and put him and your job as a higher priority than me!"

"That's not what's happening!"

Through all the yelling and screaming and back and forth, neither Danny nor Rachel heard the front door open. Grace stepped into the foyer, closing her eyes for a few moments as the screaming voices of her parents washed over her. She hadn't heard this in a long time, hadn't experienced it in many years, the feeling of coming home to her mother and father having a shouting match and being so involved in one-upping the other that they didn't notice their little girl was seeing and hearing every hand gesture and word that came from them.

Charlie. Where was Charlie? He had to be here.

Keeping her purse on her, Grace quietly took the stairs up to her brother's room and found her way to his door. She poked her head in, and her heart flipped in her chest. Charlie couldn't see her, but she could clearly see him, sitting against his bed with his toys strewn beside him, forgotten while his arms were wrapped around his knees and his head was bowed. It wasn't hard to figure out why; Grace could hear her parents fighting all the way upstairs. How long had they been going at it like this?

She felt a surge of anger then, a rush of self-righteousness. Were her parents completely not self-aware? _Did they just forget that he was up here_? Grace wondered to herself. At that moment, one of the voices – her mother's, Grace would recognize that shrill pitch anywhere – released a few choice expletives, some American, some British, but both inappropriate for young ears. Digging her phone out of her pocket, Grace shot off a text to her Uncle Steve, making sure he was home. She got a reply within seconds telling her that yes, indeed he was home with Khalid and asking her if she was planning on coming over. Making her decision, Grace replied quickly in the affirmative and pushed her way into Charlie's room, crossing the floor to kneel in front of her brother.

"Hey, Charlie. You wanna get out of here? You wanna go to Uncle Steve's? See Khalid?"

Charlie nodded his head, eyes wide, his face a mixed mask of uncertainty and eagerness to leave. Grace hated her parents for a split second, but she swallowed it down and nodded her head. "Get some of your toys together. I'll pack some clothes for you, okay? Be quick and quiet, alright?" Charlie didn't argue and moved to get some of his action figures, including his new _Avengers_ set, and some other toys together while Grace went into his dressers and began pulling out socks, underwear, shirts, and shorts. She was grateful that both she and her brother had some things already over at Steve's to wear, but she figured most of it was dirty and could do with a washing. "Get your toy bag and put all of your stuff in there," she directed, stepping out of his room for just a second to grab his toothbrush, some toothpaste, mouthwash, and his comb.

"Alright," she muttered, dumping the toiletries into Charlie's little suitcase and checking to make sure she had the essentials before looking down at Charlie. "Do you have everything you want?"

"How long are we gonna be at Uncle Steve's?"

"I dunno. Definitely for tonight though," Grace answered, and she would make sure of that too. Over her dead body would she let her little brother come back to a house where her parents were still going at it like a pair of rabid wolves. She knew from experience that their fights could go for days on end, never any truces being filed, only cease fires for licking their wounds and re-examining their arguments before starting in on each other all over again. "We gotta be quiet, so take my hand and follow me downstairs, okay?"

The siblings traipsed down the hallway and staircase. Grace led her brother through the foyer, opened the door, and walked him through before turning to shut the door quietly. "Grace, what about mom and Danno? We gonna tell them where we're going?"

"I'll text them when we're in the car," Grace promised, walking him down the steps towards her car and helping him into the passenger seat, taking his suitcase and toy bag and stuffing them in the backseat. Once she was settled in the driver's seat, Grace took out her phone and opened a group text to her parents.

_I'm taking Charlie to Uncle Steve's for the night. When you two are done fighting, let me know_.

Done with that, Grace tossed her phone into the dash cubby and pulled on her seatbelt, making sure both she and her brother were safely buckled in. Without a second thought or glance back at the house, she put the sedan in 'drive' and pointed her car in the direction of her uncle's home.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Steve had been more than happy at the surprise text from Grace announcing she was on her way over, but the second he opened the front door and saw her face he knew this was no ordinary spur of the moment visit. She gave him a weak smile and handed him two bags as she ushered Charlie into the house in front of her. "Hey buddy," Steve bent down, giving Charlie a hug but when he went to pull away, Charlie clung on for a little longer, so Steve knelt down, all the easier on his back, but looked up questioningly at Grace. "How's it going?"

Grace shook her head. Charlie huffed a bit before pulling back, seemingly mollified for the moment. "Where's Khalid?"

"Upstairs in his room. Why don't you go say hi, huh?"

Charlie took off like a shot up the stairs and it was a good thing too, because Grace had practically blitzed by Steve, making a beeline for the backdoor. By the time he caught up to her, she was holding her head in her hands, gasping for breath around tears that slid through her fingers and down her cheeks. Steve felt a stab of fear in his heart as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"Gracie, what's wrong? What happened?"

"They were fighting," she managed to choke out. "I walked in the house and th-they were fighting, screaming at each other, saying all kinds of stuff – they were yelling so loud and talking over each other, I don't even know what they were fighting about, but Charlie was up in his room, and-" she tried to breath, Steve could hear her trying, but Grace was worked up into a state Steve didn't even think her capable of reaching.

"Breathe, Gracie. Just breath. Follow my breathing, okay?" He looked down at her as he stroked his fingers through her hair soothingly. "You feel me breathing? Yea? Try to match me. Can you do that?" Steve felt Grace nod her head against his chest and they stood on the lanai like that, Grace tucked against Steve securely until he felt her slump a little. She was on her way to an adrenaline dump and Steve knew very well what those felt like. "C'mon, let's get you a chair, let's sit down, alright? You want some water?" She shook her head.

"Okay," Steve looked at her, hand on her back as he led her to sit down on one of the chairs. "So, you got home, and you walked in and Danno and Rachel were fighting pretty bad?" She nodded again. "And Charlie was upstairs? He was listening to all of it?"

"It's like they forgot he was there," she muttered. "He was just sitting in his room all huddled up…"

"I bet that made you remember some things too, huh?" Steve asked softly after a few moments of silence. Grace ducked her head even further down. "I remember when I was little they would fight, and I'd go into my room and close my door and try to shut it out. Sometimes I could, but lots of times I couldn't. Danno would come into my room later and try and make me feel better, but… you know, there's only so many times that can happen before you just become numb to it. You know?"

Steve nodded gravely. "I get it." He cleared his throat quietly. "Do your parents know you're here?"

"I texted both of them and told them I was bringing Charlie here for the night." Grace saw him wince, but there wasn't an ounce of regret within her to be found. "I couldn't leave him there, Uncle Steve. I sure wasn't going to interrupt them in the middle of World War Three." She scuffed her foot against the stone of the lanai. "When they get their heads out of their asses and check their phones, they'll see where he is, that he's safe."

Steve wasn't exactly sure Danny and Rachel would see it in quite that way, but then again, Grace had a point. What was she supposed to have done? He didn't blame her for not wanting to get in the middle of her parents and whatever it was they were fighting about. She'd just wanted to get her brother out of there so that he didn't have to experience what she'd had to so often when she was his age. "You sure you don't want some water? Something to drink?"

She shook her head. "I'm just really tired."

"Go grab Eddie and take a nap," Steve stood up, taking her gently by the arm and helping her up. "Take Mary's old room. I can change the sheets for you, if you want?"

"No, it's fine," she looked at him, guilt glinting slightly in her eyes. Steve could see it; she looked exactly like Danny did when he was feeling culpable about something, usually something he had no business feeling responsible for. "I didn't mean to dump all of this on you-"

"Stop it," Steve shushed her. "Don't you apologize. You had a problem and you came to me. You did the right thing, Gracie. You don't ever have to apologize for that. You can dump anything you need to on me. I'll always be here to handle anything you need me to handle." He pressed a kiss against her forehead and ushered her inside. "Go on upstairs, get some sleep. When you wake up, it'll probably be dinner time and we'll figure out what we're eating then, okay?"

She nodded and headed up the stairs, dutifully snapping her fingers once at Eddie who was lying by the door. He got the message and trotted up the steps behind her. Steve listened intently for the door to Mary's room closing and when he heard the click of the lock against the frame, he headed for the living room and to his phone, which was sitting on the coffee table.

_Grace brought Charlie over to my house_ , he texted Danny. _They're both with me. I'll keep them for as long as you need_.

After running upstairs and letting the boys know that Grace was taking a nap and to keep it down, Steve headed into his own room, itchy with the need to do something. He decided on stripping his own bed of the sheets, even taking the pillow protectors and the mattress pad off for a washing. While he was at it, he decided the curtains were due for a spin in the washer, and it couldn't hurt the shower curtain to have a cleaning as well. He headed out of the room and back down the stairs to the utility room, tossing the sheets and curtains in first and leaving the shower curtain for last. Almost forty-five minutes later, he was just pulling the sheets out of the washer and throwing them into the dryer when he heard his front door open and close, and he didn't have to guess to know who it was.

Danny must have heard him rummaging about in the washroom because he was standing in the threshold of the doorway in a matter of seconds. He looked as rough as Steve had ever seen him, excepting the night of Grace's car accident; Steve prayed that he never saw his partner like that again. He radiated shame as he asked, "Are they okay?"

"Yea, Danny, they're alright," Steve answered, hitting the dial on the dryer to start the cycle and walking over to him. "Charlie's upstairs playing with Khalid. Grace is taking a nap. They're okay." He watched the visible relief spread over Danny's entire body for a moment, but it was only a second or two later that Steve heard the first sharp inhale. He tugged Danny towards him, hugging his third Williams of the day as Danny held tight to him, shaking with the force of trying not to sob.

"What happened, Danny?" Steve whispered. "What happened?"

"I don't even know. I don't know how it got – how we got so out of control." Danny took a step back, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "I went over to talk to her about the job, and some other stuff, the stuff we talked about earlier this week. I knew Charlie was there; he ran to the door like he always does when he sees me. And I sent him upstairs, and I thought to myself, you know… your kid's here, maybe this can wait. But then I thought things were different. Me and Rachel, we've grown, we can talk about hard stuff now, it won't be like it used to be." He sorted derisively and hung his head. "When we realized Charlie was gone, you know, of course we panicked. Rachel was going ballistic and I told her I would call you, see if you knew anything – that's when we saw the text from Grace and then I saw the one you sent me. Rachel just…" he laughed sadly. "She just said something like, 'that figures', and that was that. She went upstairs. I left. Now I'm here."

"I meant what I said, Danny; I'll keep the kids as long as you need me to if you want to go handle things with Rachel."

"No, not tonight. We need a break, me and her. We gotta take a break, go to separate corners for right now. We uh… you know when you rehash old problems all you do is open up old wounds." He grimaced. "We managed to make a few new ones too."

Steve nodded slowly, a thought striking him suddenly. "Why did she say, 'it figures' when you told her about my text?"

Danny shook his head, but Steve knew him well enough to know that he wasn't saying 'I don't know'. Danny was saying 'not right now'. Steve backed off, sliding his hands over Danny's shoulders and pulling him forward again into a hug.

For a long while, the only sounds in the small room were the dryer vibrating against the floor, Danny's stifled crying, and Steve's voice whispering quietly that everything would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am beyond excited that I never have to proof this chapter again. This was hard to write; I honestly dreaded writing this chapter and I am so glad it's done with now.
> 
> On the other hand, Khalid got his fireworks, so that is something to absolutely gush over!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, what do you wanna do?” Danny drummed his fingers on the smart table, watching his partner silently fret until Steve dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “What’s that? Who are you calling?” 
> 
> Steve just grinned as he dialed. “One more alphabet agency that can help us.” He pulled the phone from his ear and held it between him and Danny, setting it to speaker phone. It rang four times, but just before the fifth ring, a familiar, erudite voice answered.
> 
> “ _Hello, old boy. To what do I owe this unexpected yet quite welcome ring_?”

**Hawaii Five-0**

Grace was asleep, and Danny wasn't going to wake her just yet to grovel at her feet, so once he'd pulled himself together, he headed upstairs to check on Charlie. His son, innocent soul that he was, was seated on the floor with Khalid, dozens of action figures and toy soldiers between them, and Danny allowed himself to watch for just a few seconds before sweeping into the room and running his hand over Charlie's hair.

"Hi, Danno!"

"Hey, buddy, hey Khalid," Danny crouched down a bit. He'd wait until Charlie was getting ready for bed to really talk to him about what happened earlier in the day. For now, he just needed to reassure himself that his son was alright. "You guys doing okay?"

Both boys nodded, and Charlie added, "We're playing Avengers versus SEAL's – I'm Captain America and Khalid's Uncle Steve."

Danny actually snorted. Steve would be elated – both of the kids had picked him as their toy heroes to play with. "You don't think they're both the same?"

The kids blinked at that realization. "This is SEAL Steve," Khalid held up his army action figure, and Danny smothered a laugh. Oh yes, he would remind himself to tell Steve that his foster child had deemed him worthy of army colors. He would be pleased as punch by that.

"This is Captain America Steve," Charlie looked around on the floor, "and they work together and beat the bad guys!"

Danny shrugged; that worked. "Sounds about right. Speaking of Steve, we're thinking about dinner. It's almost 6:00pm. You guys have any ideas?"

"Pizza!" Khalid had taken a Hell of a liking to pizza. It was nothing for the kid to eat half a pie, and it seemed he liked any combination, including, and much to Danny's horror, the dreaded ham and pineapple pizza Steve was so fond of. _Like father, like son_ , he supposed. "Okay, one vote for pizza. Charlie?"

"Eggrolls and rice?"

Danny considered that. "It's been a while since we've had Chinese food. Khalid, have you tried Chinese food yet?" The boy's eyes were wide. "I don't know."

"Well, let's do this; let's get both. They can both be delivered, no reason not to, and Khalid, you can try some of Charlie's dinner and if you like it, you can have Chinese, and if you don't, well, you'll still have pizza to fall back on; deal?"

Two heads, one dark, one blonde, eagerly nodded at him and Danny grinned. "Alright. I'm gonna wake Grace up in a bit, but still try and keep it down for me up here, okay?"

"Danno, is Gracie sick?" Charlie looked up at his father, and the latter took a breath. "No, Charlie, she's not sick. She had a rough day today and she's just a little more tired than normal."

"Cause of the fighting?"

"Yea," Danny breathed, his voice thin and rough. "Because of the fighting. You and me will talk about that more a little later, but I want you to know that I am very, very sorry that you had to hear that, that Mommy and I couldn't control ourselves. I know that was hard for you to hear." He offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile to his son, and Charlie grinned back up at him. "Okay, Danno."

"Alright. We'll call you when dinner's here." Danny left the room and hesitated before making the turn towards the other guest room. He needed to check on Grace, needed to see her, if for no other reason than to reassure himself that she was indeed still here and hadn't snuck out the window or something. At this point, he probably wouldn't blame her if she did. He cracked the door of the guest room open and peaked in before opening the door wider. Eddie gave a soft woof of acknowledgement, yawned, and then hopped off the bed and padded out of the room; Danny closed the door softly behind him. She'd probably been asleep for just over two hours by now and Danny knew that if she went for much longer, she wouldn't sleep a wink that night. Grace was exactly like him in that regard. He gingerly sat on the bed and ran a hand down a bare, tanned arm, gentling her to wakefulness. Unlike with his son, Danny really didn't have the strength to fake a smile for her, and he knew that she wouldn't appreciate his effort either. She wasn't six anymore. She was 17 years old, and Grace had been able to see right through him like no one else ever could. He watched calmly as his daughter blinked her eyes open slowly, registering his presence finally.

"Hey, Monkey," Danny murmured softly. "How're you feeling?"

Grace shrugged.

"Yea, I don't blame you," he swallowed. He tugged gently at her wrist, careful not to grip her too tightly. Even months after her accident, Danny was still so careful with her. "You got a hug for me?"

One of Danny's biggest fears was that he would make his kids so angry or would annoy them so much one day that they would never want to see him again, much less hug him, so when Grace hesitated that split second, Danny was prepared to beg, cry, plead, do anything to earn her forgiveness for the position she was put in that day. But a hairsbreadth of a moment later, she was rolling to sit up and tucking her head against his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Grace," Danny mumbled, holding her tightly. "I don't have any excuse. Neither does Mom. I'm so sorry you got put in that position today, I'm sorry I'm the one that put you in that position, Monkey."

"I didn't know what else to do." Grace's voice was muffled as she spoke into his neck, but Danny could hear and understand her just fine. "I didn't want Charlie to keep hearing you guys fight and I didn't know how long you'd been yelling at each other, and I know I should've told you guys then that I was bringing him here, but I didn't want to get in between you two and so I just took him and left."

"S'okay, Grace. It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong, Grace. This is on us, me and Mom," Danny pulled back, gently framing her face with his hands. "You never should've been put in that position. You never should've had to make that choice. But you did, and the choice you made was to protect your brother from hearing me and Mom yelling and screaming at each other. This whole day? This is me and Mom's fault; it never would've happened if we'd kept our cool and acted like adults." He brushed his thumbs just under her eyes, wiping away a few traces of wetness that had slipped. "I love you very much, and I'm very proud of you for what you did today. I'm just really sorry that you had to do it."

Grace sniffed a bit. "Are you and Mom breaking up again?"

Danny took a breath. Probably, yea, very likely. He settled for, "We haven't talked since I left her house."

"Doesn't answer the question."

"I keep forgetting you're a cop's daughter," Danny muttered, but his expression was light. There was even a hint of a grin as he said it. "You know, one of the things I did wrong from the start was not being honest with you guys about what Mom and I were doing." He pursed his lips. "It doesn't look good, Grace. Even before today, there were some uh… some feelings, some concerns I was having that I didn't tell your mom about because I was trying to work through them on my own. Maybe if I had, today wouldn't have happened. But that's a topic for me and Mom to discuss at a later date." Danny's hands slipped from her face. Grace grabbed one of them tightly with her hand. "Danno?"

"Hm?"

"Would you be mad if I told you that I didn't think this was a good idea from the beginning?"

"Would I be mad?" Danny tilted his head. "No, I wouldn't be mad. Especially when I think about what you probably saw and heard today." He studied her carefully, remembering how reserved she'd been lately, and decided to ask the question that had been on his mind for a while now. "Grace, is that why you've been so withdrawn lately?" When she lowered her gaze and nodded, he sighed. "Honey, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't want to be the reason you guys didn't work out," Grace choked out, her voice wavering. "I-I didn't want to make you and Mom sad if you were happy together, or fight with you guys if I told you, if I was honest. And if you guys did work out, then Charlie could have both of you living together and I thought that was worth it, but –" she wiped at her face, "but I couldn't get past the feeling that it just wouldn't work, but I also didn't want to say anything because you and Mom looked so happy around each other, and… I just-" Whatever Grace was going to say next was lost because Danny tucked her into his hold and let her cry it out.

"You shouldn't have had to hold all of that in, Grace." And dammit, he should have just asked her straight out. Grace's change in behavior had started just a few weeks after the hurricane, when he and Rachel had started seeing more of each other. Danny kicked himself mentally over and over again as he tried to sooth his emotionally exhausted and erroneously guilt-ridden daughter. "That's too much for you to be thinking about, for you to be taking on. And why would you think you would have any blame in me and Mom not working out? Huh? Whatever happens with your mother and me, that's on us. It has nothing to do with you, or with Charlie. You two will never be to blame for our problems – you and your brother are the best things that ever happened to us. And even though I'm fighting with Mom right now, I promise you she would say the exact same thing."

He pulled back a little, making her look at him. "You've got no blame in this, Grace. None. Not for anything. Okay?" She nodded, and he could tell she was still wholly unsure of the entire situation, but that was okay. He'd fucked this up right royally from the start, so she was entitled to be wary. "Me and Steve were gonna order dinner; the kids want pizza and Chinese."

"Pizza sounds good," Grace wiped her eyes and her face, taking a deep breath as she calmed down.

"Alright. Why don't you get yourself together and come down when you're ready, okay?" Danny stood up, bending over to kiss her head. "I love you very much, Grace. And I'm really sorry we put you through all this today."

"Love you too, Danno."

Danny backed out of the room, leaving her to collect herself and heading downstairs to find Steve sitting on the sofa flipping through take out menus. "I feel like the biggest heel in history and the worst father in the world," Danny flopped down next to him and closed his eyes. "I can't believe this got so bad so quick."

"Don't blame yourself," Steve uttered easily, tossing the menu from the Indian restaurant he ordered from frequently onto the coffee table. It floated neatly down beside the Chinese and pizza menus.

"What do you mean 'don't blame myself'"? Who else am I gonna blame? This is my fault. This is on me. My son was witness to a damn nuclear explosion between his parents in his kitchen today. My daughter didn't think this was going to work out from the start – yea," Danny nodded his head fiercely at Steve's look of surprise. "But she didn't want to say anything because she thought that if she did, then it would be her fault if me and Rachel broke up, so she just shut down. It's why she's been so different the last few months." Danny slumped back against the couch and closed his eyes with a groan. He felt Steve shift earnestly next to him, but kept his eyes closed. He just wanted to block out the world for a few minutes.

"Danny."

"No."

"…I didn't ask you anything."

"You're going to though."

"Danny," and Danny could actually sense Steve rolling his eyes. "Look at me."

With a sigh, Danny blinked his eyes open and found Steve twisted towards him, his face maybe about six inches way from Danny's own. "What?"

"You had to try. You were right to try. It didn't work out. And yea, you and Rachel, you two got away with each other and you had a major fight and Charlie heard it. It's not great, but sometimes it happens. You think it doesn't happen even with happily married couples?" Steve laughed. "My parents went at each other like cats and dogs one night over something and Mary huddled in my room because she was so young and she didn't understand that sometimes Dad got too involved in his work and none of us understood that Mom had never really left the CIA. But we knew, at least at the time, that we would be okay. You know, before the car bombing. We knew our parents loved us, and loved each other, and we worked through those times. You and Rachel and Grace and Charlie will do the same. You'll be fine. Rachel will be fine. The kids will be fine. I promise."

"You promise," Danny snorted. Steve halfway glared. "Yes. I promise. What did I say when you started all this, huh? I'd be here for all of you, with whatever you need. I meant it, Danny."

"I know you did, babe," Danny softened. "Thanks for taking care of the kids today."

"You don't have to thank me, Danny. I love them."

And Danny knew that as sure as he knew the sun was going to rise the next day. He felt a soothing warmth fill him at his partner's words. "What're we eating? Grace wants pizza. Charlie wants Chinese. Khalid wants pizza but is also gonna try some of the Chinese."

"I'm getting Indian food." Steve leaned back, his upper arm pressed alongside Danny's. Neither of them moved. Danny made a popping sound with his lips and turned his neck to look at Steve.

"Smorgasbord then."

And smorgasbord it was. Things got a little confusing when the delivery guy from the Indian restaurant ran into the guy from the Chinese restaurant – apparently they were serious rivals and Danny could feel the tension in the air as he made sure to tip both employees the exact same amount – but within a half hour, a mix of Indian and Chinese food, along with four different pizzas, including a pineapple and Hawaiian one for Steve and Khalid, decorated the circular table in Steve's dining room. The smell of food wafting up the stairs brought the boys down, and even though there were only two of them, Danny would swear to anyone who asked that it sounded like a stampede of elephants surging down the steps. Grace was a little slower, but she was no less present as she plastered herself to her father's side and watched Charlie and Khalid load their plates with a little bit of everything before inching forward and taking three slices of cheese pizza. Danny and Steve watched her carefully, half expecting her to head back upstairs to her solitude, but she plopped herself down at the table and started munching quietly on her food. Danny let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Hey Charlie," Danny's son looked up at him, fork halfway to his mouth filled with rice, "when you're done with dinner, let's call Mom so you can say good night, okay?"

"Okay!"

Dinner went smoothly, and Danny was happy to see that Charlie seemed now, at least, to be largely unaffected by what had happened as he chatted away excitedly with Khalid. He glanced over at Steve, also watching the boys, saw how happy and relaxed he was, and when Steve caught Danny observing him, his smile grew even wider. It was infectious, and Danny grinned back before tucking his hand into his pocket and digging out his phone to text Rachel that Charlie would be calling her after dinner, and to please pick up. He was relieved when just a few minutes later, he received a reply saying only, 'of course'. He slid his phone back in his pocket, studiously ignored both Grace and Steve looking at him, pulled off a piece of pepperoni, and lobbed it at his partner's head.

"Hey!"

"Daddy, you can't throw food at Uncle Steve!"

"Oh no? Why can't I?" Danny challenged his son. "He drives like a maniac, so why can't I toss a pepperoni at him from time to time, huh?"

The conversation went on from there until there were full bellies and young eye lids beginning to fall. Grace took it upon herself to take Khalid upstairs and get him started on his bath while Steve took charge of cleaning up. Danny sucked his bottom lip as he dialed Rachel's number and waited for one, two, three rings, breathing a sigh of relief when she picked up.

" _Hello_?"

"Hey. It's me."

" _How are they? Are they alright_?"

"They're uh… hang on. Charlie, go help Uncle Steve for a sec and I'll get you in a few minutes, okay?" Charlie, always ready to do anything for his Danno and his uncle, took his plate into the kitchen while Danny slipped out onto the lanai. "They're good. Grace brought Charlie over to Steve's. They've been here all afternoon."

Rachel was quiet. Danny could hear her working up the nerve to say something as her breathing kept chanting. " _Alright. You… I wish, you know, that you'd have texted me_ -"

"Agreed," Danny immediately sidelined her argument. "I know. I – honestly, I wasn't doing so great when I got over here and Grace was asleep, Charlie was playing with Khalid, and… but yea, you're right. I'm sorry."

" _I'm sorry too_ ," Rachel's voice was thin and hurt and so desperate and Danny kind of hated himself right now. " _I suppose you'll keep them there over night_?"

"Yea. You know, it's late and they just finished dinner. Khalid's in the bath, Charlie will go in after him; he's ready to crash, Rache."

" _Yes. Of course, that's fine_."

"I'll bring Charlie back over tomorrow afternoon?" Danny asked.

" _What about Grace_?"

"I… we gotta talk about Grace," Danny sighed. "We need to talk with her too, but first, we gotta talk about her."

" _I thought you said she was fine_?" Rachel's panicked voice cut him off and Danny rushed to reassure her. "She is, but she's…she's been feeling some things recently, uh… about us, about you and me, and… you and I should talk about that; about a lot of stuff."

" _But not tomorrow_ ," Rachel affirmed.

"No, not tomorrow. We gotta get our heads on straight, Rachel. Calm down, take some time to just…" Danny blinked back the emotion welling in his eyes. "God dammit, just take some time to ourselves, I think."

" _Yes, of course. You're right_." Rachel cleared her throat. Danny could almost see her in his mind's eye, straightening her shoulders, practicing that stiff upper lip the Brits were so well known for. " _Alright then; where's Charlie? Can I talk to him_?"

Danny headed back inside and found Charlie standing on a little stool Steve had bought for Grace when she'd been Charlie's age to help him with the dishes. "Charlie, Mom's on the phone." His son wiped his hands on a dish towel and zoomed over to his father, taking the phone and starting to talk a mile a minute to his mother. Danny watched on for a few moments, smiling sadly to himself before gathering plates, glasses, and silverware and heading into the kitchen to help Steve.

**Hawaii Five-0**

The following week saw Jerry back at work. Granted it was only half days and he was riding a desk but the man had been going stir crazy sitting at home doing nothing but research and was clearly happy to be back at headquarters. When Danny told Jerry that he figured that would be Heaven in Jerry's eyes, the latter grinned. "I got a taste of field work and get to put some of my theories in practice; what's better than that?"

Danny promptly asked Jerry if he'd been assigned a psychologist after his ordeal and left the conversation at that.

Whether it was because the criminal element on the island had better things to do or they were swayed by the mid-July heat, Five-0 had no clue; they just knew that it was a quiet week and they were grateful for it. Aside from finishing out the reports on Robert Pinto and Andrew Tascano and meeting with Ellie Clayton's prosecution team for an update on the case against Azra Hassan, it was as boring as it had been when Five-0 had first formed.

As had been practice since Steve had taken charge of Khalid, he and the team kept an eye on their multiple persons of interest, watching anytime finances were moved from an account or an airline ticket was purchased. For the most part however, they all seemed to be staying put. It made Steve uneasy, knowing that there were any number of Khalid's family with resources aplenty who could put a plan into action to retrieve the boy, but he chose to listen to Danny (at least for the time being), who had clearly been reading the _Harry Potter_ books to Charlie and who was now channeling Mad Eye Moody, sans the creepy eye and faux drinking problem.

"Constant vigilance, babe. That's the name of the game," Danny tugged at Steve's shirt sleeve. "You'll drive yourself nuts staring at this stuff, waiting for something to happen, okay? Look, we've got the FBI, Interpol, and Homeland Security keeping an eye on all of these guys, and on all of _their_ guys. Yea?"

Steve gave a halfhearted nod.

"And you know that the second they hear anything, anything at all, they'll let us know, right?"

Steve frowned. Danny matched him. "You don't know that?"

"I know they should," Steve sighed. "I just don't know that they will. I mean… I'm 90 percent sure that they will, but there's always angles I'll never see since I'm not active anymore. What if… what if they think it's more valuable to them to let these people get close, just close enough?"

"Why would they wanna do that?"

"Information?" Steve laughed sardonically. "A chance at capturing them, learning more about their networks, who works where, who works for who. Khalid might be a kid, but to some people in that line of work, he's a valuable tool and perfect bait."

Danny knocked his head back and forth a bit. It wasn't entirely unheard of. The alphabet soup agencies giving dangerous, wanted individuals just enough rope to let them do as they pleased before yanking back on it no matter who their actions put in danger or hurt. Steve had said on a few occasions he and others he'd served with didn't realize when they were the ones being led around like dogs on the rope they were freely given by the same agencies that were supposed to be working in tandem with them on everything.

"Well, what do you wanna do?" Danny drummed his fingers on the smart table, watching his partner silently fret until Steve dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "What's that? Who are you calling?"

Steve just grinned as he dialed. "One more alphabet agency that can help us." He pulled the phone from his ear and held it between him and Danny, setting it to speaker phone. It rang four times, but just before the fifth ring, a familiar, erudite voice answered.

" _Hello, old boy. To what do I owe this unexpected yet quite welcome ring_?"

"Hey Harry, I got Danny here with me. Is this a good time?"

" _Oh, I'd say it's a very good time. Give me a moment_."

As they waited, Danny glanced at his watch. "Evening tea and crumpets time, I guess."

"What?"

"It's 8:00pm over there, Steve."

"I know what time it is over there, Danny; I've been stationed there before, you know."

Danny held up his hands. "Pardon me."

" _Alright, chaps; you're on speaker phone_."

Steve furrowed his brow. "Uh… Harry, is there any way you can take us off speaker? I've got a favor to ask you; it's kind of sensitive in nature."

" _Only one other person here with me, my dear Steven, and I don't think you'll mind my guest_."

Danny lifted a brow. Steve stared warily at the phone. "Who would that be?"

" _Hey, sailor_."

Both of Danny's eyebrows lifted. 'Oh boy,' he mouthed, watching Steve digest Catherine's voice and the fact that she was on the phone with Harry.

"Hey, Cath," Steve couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. "You're in London?"

" _Joint training and conference with MI6. Harry's consulting as a kind of instructor slash liaison between his agency and the CIA_."

"Oh, well, that's great," Steve cleared his throat.

" _It has been so far_." Steve could hear the grin in Catherine's voice, and he recognized it for what it was. He'd heard it often enough when it had been for him. " _What's up_?"

Steve gave them both a concise sitrep on what had happened in the last nearly two months with Azra Hassan, Khalid, and Five-0's attempts to surveil anyone worth watching in the Hassan camp. "We've got the usual suspects watching their moves, but I'd feel better if we had someone we could trust to keep us in the loop on everything – not just what we're told we need to know."

" _That shouldn't be a problem_ ," Harry assured, his voice streaming through the phone easily. " _Send me a list of names, encrypted of course, usual email address. I have more than few favors owed to me in the Circus. The moment these people start making moves, I'll know – and therefore so will you_."

"I owe you big time, Harry; thanks man."

" _No trouble at all, considering all the favors you've done for me and mine_."

A subtle reference to his daughter, Sophie, and Steve could tell from the look on Danny's face that he wasn't the only one who wanted an update on that situation, but Steve wasn't sure if Catherine was aware of that bit of information, and so he steered clear of the subject.

" _Steve, I'll quietly poke around my own contacts too once you send the names over. I'm sure between my network and Harry's we can update you on their movements_."

There was that special grin sound again. He wasn't hearing or imagining things, Steve was sure of it now. "I guess I'll owe you a dinner when you visit again."

" _Nah. This one's on the house_ ," Catherine's smile transmitted through the phone as easily as if she were standing right in front of him.

" _Got to dash, but we'll talk more soon_ ," Harry signed off, and Catherine called out a goodbye before the call ended. Steve tilted his head staring at the phone for a moment.

"Huh."

Danny stood as casually as he pleased, fingers still tapping a beat against the surface of the table. "Huh what? What's huh?"

"Catherine."

"What about her?"

"She sounded… happy."

Danny let out a mock gasp of shock. "Perish the thought, Steven." His partner waved at him impatiently. "No, I mean she sounded happy happy, like…giddy happy, 'I've found someone' happy."

"Steve, she said all of three sentences to you."

"Yea, but I know that tone of her voice, Danny. She only sounds like that when she's… you know, when she's…" Steve cleared his throat. "When she's with someone."

Danny blinked. "You jealous?"

"No," Steve answered after a moment. "No. I'm not jealous. I'm… relieved? Yea," he nodded his head, settling for the term and all of the definitions and meanings it could render. "Relieved."

"Alright, good. That's good, right? Relieved. She's moving on. You're… kind of, moving on-"

"I've moved on from Catherine, Danny. I did that a long time ago."

"-right, and now we just need to move you a little further on so that you can turn in your orange monk robe and get back to living like a grown man." Danny grinned; Steve rolled his eyes. He knew where it was coming from, knew that Danny was genuinely worried that Steve was spending too much time alone and not attempting to find any female companionship, but if he was being honest, Steve was happy with where he was currently. Danny and the kids were over frequently, he had the team, his sister visited more often with Joanie. Sure, every now and again there was an itch he wished he could scratch, but he was doing just fine by himself for the moment.

Life was okay for him right now. He had no complaints.

No complaints, but one wish, as Steve watched Danny sit heavily in one of the leather chairs across from Steve's desk: That whatever happened this weekend would be good for Danny and Rachel and their children.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Initially, Danny thought to meet Rachel on Saturday at a neutral location, somewhere neither of them had any ties or felt overly comfortable. A restaurant or park was out of the question in Danny's opinion, since there was a fairly better than half chance that either he or Rachel or both of them would blow their stacks, and that was not a show anyone needed to see.

In the end, Danny told Rachel he'd simply swing by her place. After their conversation, he would be able to head over to Steve's, who had kept Charlie overnight so he could play with Khalid, and he'd rather Rachel be afforded the kindness of not having to go anywhere but upstairs to her room once he was gone.

He let himself into the house with the key he still had and found her in the kitchen. Danny offered her a morose 'hey' and Rachel replied with a sad twist of lips, an almost smile, but filled with regret, and, Danny could plainly see, resignation.

"I guess I'll go first," Danny muttered, stepping up to the kitchen island and resting against it. It struck him as ironic that he and Rachel had returned to the 'scene of the crime' as it were, having had their blow up in this exact spot not one week previous. "First, I uh… I want to say that I'm sorry for the way I handled things last week. I'm sorry for a lot of things, but with Charlie upstairs, having to hear us – hear me – yelling at you, us yelling at each other... I don't have any excuse for that, Rachel, and I'm sorry."

"It wasn't all you," she murmured. "We're both quite vicious when we fight, aren't we? It was just as much me." Rachel heaved a sigh, looking at him from under her lashes. "I could apologize a thousand times – and I am sorry, Danny, for the things I said to you, for what I inferred – but I think both you and I know that it won't change anything."

It was a heartbreaking realization for Danny to recognize that Rachel had come to the same conclusion he had; they just couldn't work as a couple. He watched her bottom lip tremble and he was by her in less than three seconds, hugging her tightly.

"This isn't what I wanted, Rache. I promise you. I wanted it to work, I swear to God," Danny smoothed her hair back and away gently. "I did. You have to know that."

"I do know that, Danny. I do. For everything I said about you and Grace and Steve, I do believe that you wanted this to work. But… but you and I – we – together, as a couple… we just can't. How many times have we tried?"

"A lot," Danny pulled back, framing her face with his hands. "You're the mother of my children, Rachel; even after everything, I don't think I'll ever not love you. But I don't – I can't love you in that way anymore."

Rachel nodded. "I know."

"I should've told you how I was feeling earlier, way before this," Danny confessed. It felt good to tell her that, to take on that responsibility.

Rachel fitted her fingers against the dips of his hips, idly fingering the fabric of his t-shirt. "When did you know, Danny? When did you start feeling like this wouldn't work out?"

"I guess… maybe – no, not maybe – while you were in Los Angeles," Danny swallowed. "Maybe a few weeks before that? I've been thinking about that since our fight, and the one thing I come back to is that I wanted my son to have a chance to grow up with both of his parents in the house. But… but as I kept thinking about it, I realized that idea, that… that want for him was what was really driving me." Danny shook his head, hardly able to look at her. "I was enjoying the time with you too, but if I'm being honest… the kids having both parents at home, that was the deciding factor."

To her credit, Rachel managed to look like she hadn't just been kicked in the heart, but Danny knew her well enough to know that she was hurt by his admission. "I did enjoy my time with you, Rachel. I swear I did. It felt like old times for a while there, like when we'd first met. I really thought I was doing the right thing, that we were going to be okay and that all the problems we'd had were in the past. I did believe that."

Rachel took a breath. There was a 'but' there as clear as day and she pressed him on it. "What was it that made you start thinking otherwise?"

Danny leaned back against the island, taking her with him. It was easier to have this conversation holding her, and God only knew why; maybe it was because it gave them both some comfort that they were desperately needing right now. "Little things, really… little things that I knew would become big things. Like, uh… I felt like I didn't really know how to include you in my life or explain how we were seeing each other after everything that we've been through."

"Then I wasn't the only one."

That surprised Danny. "No, babe. You weren't the only one."

She nodded. "What else?"

"When you left to go to Los Angeles, I missed you, but not…. Jeez, not how two people who are supposed to be in love miss each other. You called that morning to tell me that you had some news to surprise me with and I felt like I was talking to an old friend rather than a girlfriend or a… a something more."

"That morning when you were sleeping in the same bed as Steve?" Rachel pulled back, eyeing him. Danny cleared his throat. "Yea. Speaking of Steve, you brought him up a lot last Saturday." He looked back at her, not breaking her gaze. "You wanna maybe tell me what that was about?"

"Danny…" Rachel pushed away from him, turning around. "Do you want something to drink? Some tea?"

Danny did not want tea. Danny wanted bourbon. But Danny knew that alcohol would not be a wise decision at this juncture. So, he shrugged his shoulders, mumbled a 'sure' and watched as Rachel filled a kettle with water and set it to boil on the stove. It was never microwaved tea with her; she'd told him once that the British considered it an insult to shove water into a radioactive hotbox rather than to heat it on a stove in a tea pot as was proper and how God intended.

"You know, when Grace was born and you wanted to name her after Detective Tillwell, I had no misgivings over that. She was an incredibly brave woman, and a good friend," Rachel talked as she worked, not looking at Danny. "But we'd had our problems early on in our marriage, and I knew…I just knew that you were turning to her when we'd fight. I know you never slept with her, Danny. But knowing that you'd stay at the office late and she was there; that you'd leave early to go to work and knowing that it wasn't because of traffic you wanted to avoid or errands you said you needed to run but because we'd had a fight the night before and you wanted to get out of the house before I woke up; knowing that when you'd laugh at a story it was because she was somehow a part of it and not me…." She pursed her lips, looking over her shoulder. "Sometimes you don't have to outright sleep with someone else to be unfaithful."

Danny lowered his gaze. True. He wouldn't argue the point with her; he had turned to Grace more than his wife for a time. Nothing inappropriate had ever happened with his then partner, but he couldn't deny Rachel's assertion that he'd developed feelings for her at some point. He'd admitted as much to Steve a few years ago when his sister Bridget had visited, and Danny had recognized the warning signs of an unhappy marriage in her and the attention she'd obviously been enjoying from her co-worker.

"I'm sorry about that," he finally admitted. "Nothing ever happened, but… yea." What else was there to say.

"And now I see you and Steve," Rachel continued, turning around to face him. "You're always together; you're at his place more often than you're at your own. When I was away in Los Angeles, I bet you spent every weekend over there."

"Charlie and Khalid adore each other, Rache; they're practically best friends at this point."

"Yes, but the boys aren't the catalyst for you being with Steve so much." Rachel gave him a knowing look. "I may not know the reason, but what I do know is that you are… much, much happier when you're connected with him. You want to be near him all the time, Danny; you need to be. When we went to Kauai, and you told him that you were going to New Jersey-"

Danny groaned.

"-and I asked you why you didn't just tell him the truth, and you told me it was because it wasn't any of his business. That wasn't the reason, was it?" Rachel fetched two mugs out of the cabinet next to the sink, seeing Danny's head shake in her periphery. "You didn't want him to know because you were afraid of what he would say."

"I was afraid of what a lot of people would say," Danny corrected her, offering yet another admittance of his private thoughts, but Rachel easily tossed a smirk back at him and he stood down once more. "Yes, but no one else's opinion would've mattered as much as Steve McGarrett's, or even at all, really."

Danny felt like a cat walking across a wet road; shifty, off kilter, and decidedly itchy. "Okay," he scratched the back of his neck. "Uh… you're right, but what's your point, Rachel? Where are you going with all of this?"

"I've had seven days to sit and think – about you, me, us, why we can't make it work. About Grace Tillwell and Stanley and Steven."

"And?"

"And I've come to the conclusion that perhaps we're better friends than lovers, that maybe we can still salvage the best parts of our relationship before we go any further with this… this reconciliation trial we were attempting." Rachel turned away, seemingly to grab for the kettle which was beginning to fill the kitchen with its whistling music, but Danny knew it was to save face.

"I know how bad you wanted this, Rache," Danny rubbed his face tiredly. "I wanted it too, at least in the beginning."

"So you've said, and I believe you. You wanted it for the children, so did I," Rachel turned back to pour piping hot water into each of their mugs. "We both wanted it for each other, at least at the start. Perhaps we just didn't want it enough. Now, I seem to remember when you had to drink tea you'd dabble with the Twinings-"

"It's the only tea you ever had in the house, Rachel," Danny smiled a little.

"As well it should be; Twinings has been supplying the Royal Family with tea since the early 1800's, and if it's good enough for Her Majesty, then it's good enough for you." Rachel graced him with a smile and his mug with a simple Twinings black tea pouch. Each of them watched their mugs as the water became flavored with the herbs. Rachel took a sip once she deemed hers ready. Danny watched her behind the lip of his own cup.

"Lemme ask you a question."

Rachel nodded. "Alright."

"I just want to make sure… last week, when we said all that stuff that we said to each other, you mentioned Steve." Danny saw her pause a bit over the edge of her mug before she took a long sip and nodded. "It sounded like you thought… I mean, I don't know, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I almost thought you were saying that Steve and I, you know, that he and I were…" He rolled his hands over each other, trying to say with gestures what he couldn't seem to say with words.

Rachel looked at him evenly and then sat her cup down. "The way you are with Steve is very…similar to how you were with Grace Tillwell," she explained slowly. "Actually, the way you are with Steve eclipses how you were with Grace. You both are two peas in a pod. I know that if I ever need to find out where you are or what you're doing, there is one, and only one person on this island I can call, and that's Steve. You're with him all the time, even when you were with me and the kids you would be texting him, talking to him on the phone." Rachel gave him a knowing look. "Before we gave our relationship its most recent trial run, you were at his place every other weekend with the kids – he's our children's emergency contact, he's your emergency contact and vice versa." She laughed. "Dinners, lunches, late nights – he drives your car, you yell at him constantly and he, oddly, seems to enjoy that."

"That's just how we are, Rachel," Danny protested (weakly). "It's just… it's how we've always been."

"Yes. I know. But I think you've gotten so used to that, so used to Steve and your routine with him and having the children over at his house and everything… I don't know that you know how to extricate yourself from that to have a relationship with someone else. And I think he's the same way. You two are practically a couple without the, shall we say _benefits_ that come with such a relationship."

Danny almost, _almost_ , dropped his mug mid sip, and that would've been a very bad thing because the mug he was drinking from, he knew, was a gift to Rachel from her mother. Danny already had the feeling his mother in law was going to have a few choice words for him for breaking things off with her daughter; he did not want to add the destruction of beloved beverage dishes to the list. "You think we're sleeping together? Or that we _want_ to sleep together?"

"You were sleeping in his bed when I called that morning," Rachel arched a brow at him.

"Yes, because we'd gotten home at 2:00am from the hospital after Steve got shot and I was too tired to navigate his stairs to go back down to the couch!" Danny gesticulated in various 90-degree angles in an attempt to describe Steve's staircase. He didn't really need to – Rachel knew what the stairs in Steve's house looked like.

"But that wasn't the first time you'd slept in his bed." Rachel said it with so much certainty, as if she were reading it straight from a police report. Danny gaped at her. "I – how would you know that?!"

"Grace," Rachel shrugged. "The house was full a few weeks ago and instead of you and Steve sleeping downstairs in the living room, she told you two to take his bed and she'd take the couch."

"You turning my kid into a special ops agent or something?" Danny's face was pinking up just slightly. "Okay, alright, so Steve and I are comfortable enough to crash on the same mattress. That's nothing new, definitely not for him when you consider he bunked in close quarters with about ten guys for half of his life."

"Daniel, listen to me."

Danny pouted his lip. "I don't want to."

Rachel just laughed at him. "Don't you think that with you and Steve being the way you are with each other that you're going to have a difficult time finding someone that can readily and easily accept it? Or are you so content with the way things are that it doesn't matter anymore?"

"What do you mean?"

"You have Steve. You have the children. Your routines are known and comfortable. You trust him implicitly, that much is clear, and he you. Danny," Rachel bit her lip, "you're practically in a relationship with him already. The only thing that's missing is admitting it and… you know."

" _You know_?!" Danny squeaked. "Rachel… I – can we please –"

"I spoke with my firm." Change of subject. Danny was grateful. Rachel was graciously leaving that other conversation alone. "I called my boss on Wednesday. I told him my situation – not all of it, but enough that he understood. The position is mine if I still want it, so long as I'm at the office twenty days out of ten in the month."

"That's… uh, that's great," Danny cleared his throat, taking a sip of tea just to settle himself and get back to the discussion at hand. "What are you going to do?"

"I want this position, Danny. I do. I've worked hard for it. But I want to know that you'll support me."

Danny nodded his head slowly. "Charlie doesn't move?"

"Charlie doesn't move. I'll find an apartment in Los Angeles, a three bedroom so that the kids can each have one when they visit. This house is paid for already," Rachel looked around. "Stan allowed me to keep it after the divorce, for the children's sake. He really didn't have to. His lawyer was telling him he had no obligations, but… he felt differently."

Danny nodded slowly. Stan Edwards was a good man who had gotten caught up between two selfish people who simply couldn't make up their damn minds. Danny knew that what he and Rachel had done all those years ago had affected the people closest to them in the worst ways, their children for starters. But Stan hadn't asked for any of what was given to him, and he certainly didn't ask to raise a boy who he believed with all his heart was his son, only to find out that Danny was the father.

"Well, Stan's a good guy," Danny finally muttered out. Rachel nodded in agreement. "So, you'll keep the house here, use it when you come home, and then have a condo in L.A.? You'll be making the money to do that?"

"I'll simply work out of the Honolulu office when I'm here," Rachel confirmed. "I won't lose anytime off of work, and because I'll be making regular checks here, the trips home can be written off as a business expense. I'll work from here until January and then I'll move to the L.A. office after the New Year. I do want one thing though."

Danny inclined his head, encouraging her to go on.

"I'd like for Charlie to come stay with me for a month or so during the summer, and perhaps one weekend a month or every two months, maybe when there's a long weekend for a holiday at school?" Rachel's fingers flexed around her mug. "I'd come home for Christmas and Thanksgiving. But for New Years, if I'm able to go to London, I'd like to have him." She watched Danny mull that over.

"I can work with that," Danny acquiesced. "Do you… you want lawyers to draw all this up?"

"We can, if it would give you more comfort," Rachel cleared her throat. "I know our history doesn't really lend itself to agreements like this being honored and kept… more so from me than you."

She was right about that. It did something for Danny, to hear her say it. "No," he surprised himself with his answer. "I trust you, Rachel. I'd like to think we've come far enough that we don't need to involve money sucking interpreters to enforce our deals."

Rachel laughed. A real, true laugh that lightened the heavy air between them. "I suppose you're right. We've pulled so many tricks and one ups on each other, I'm sure we're out of plays at this point."

"I hope so." Danny offered a smile and sidled around the kitchen island to pull her against him again. "I should've told you how I was feeling weeks ago, way before you left on that trip. We probably could've avoided all of this if I had."

"Maybe, maybe not. I think… you wanted to be sure," Rachel looked up at him. "I know you were thinking about the children, about what ending this would mean for them."

"Maybe it doesn't have to end everything?" Danny asked hopefully. Rachel tilted her head in question. "We could still have dinners, lunches, hang out with the kids together," Danny offered. "Yea, we won't be seeing each other anymore, but that doesn't mean all that's gotta stop too, does it?"

"No," she shook her head. "It doesn't." She smirked. "As long as you don't think Steve will get jealous?"

Danny groaned as she giggled. "God, why. Why me?"

"Danny, do you remember what you said to me last weekend? When I told you I'd go for my lawyers? I pulled attorneys and judges out of my pocket and you pulled Steve out of yours," she grinned up at him. "You look to him for everything, and I think he does the same thing."

"That doesn't mean-"

"That you two are sleeping together, yes, I know. But Danny, you're happy with him." She pulled back a little to lean against the kitchen island, his arms still holding her loosely about her waist. "You share everything with him, the kids adore him and call him 'Uncle', even when we were working on reconciling this last time you spent more time with him than with me." She patted his chest. "You two can't get enough of each other. Maybe… well. I'm only saying, perhaps it's something for you to think about."

Danny shoved that thought way in the back of his mind to pull out at a later date. He was ending a relationship with his ex-wife, working out a custody arrangement for his son, and apologizing for his part in how things between he and Rachel deteriorated; the last thing he had bandwidth for was figuring out if he, possibly, could have a hard on for his partner.

"Charlie's over at Steve's."

Rachel snickered.

"Okay, alright fine, so not the best way to refute what you're saying, laugh it up." Danny cracked, chuckling along with her. "But that's where he is. He wanted to stay the night to hang out with Khalid."

"You'll bring him by tomorrow morning then?"

Danny nodded. Then, "I really am sorry, Rachel."

"I'm sorry too, Danny."

He looked at her, the corners of his mouth turned upward just slightly. "At least we know now, right?"

"Yes," she smiled sadly back at him. "I suppose we do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it. Wonderful friends, fantastic co-parents as it should be, but nothing more. Ya'll can breathe now!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Steve, have you enrolled Khalid in school yet?” Danny asked suddenly and watched Steve’s face morph into Confused-Baby-Seal face.
> 
> “Huh?”
> 
> Figures. “School? You know that place where kids go to learn math and science and history? They stay there for a few hours every day? Grace and Charlie have gone there most of their lives; you must’ve noticed.”
> 
> “ _Shit_!."
> 
> “So, that’s a no.” Danny watched Steve race out of the bullpen and out the doors. Junior popped his head out of his office. “Do we need to go? Something happen?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Authors Note_ : If you haven't seen Avengers: End Game yet, please be advised there is a MAJOR spoiler in this chapter. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk!
> 
> Also, a bit of a time jump. Out of July and into August!

**Hawaii Five-0**

August brought mid-80-degree weather, calm ocean waters, and the last gasps of summer. Unfortunately, with it also came the criminal element which always seemed to spike in August. Whether it was because the locals had gotten bored during the high season or the tourists had gotten stupid on a vacation was always a 'six in one hand, half a dozen in the other' type of situation. Five-0 had been helping out HPD for the last two weeks with the most nominal and ludicrous of cases – the previous day had seen a state wide task force known for handling some of the most heinous and complex of crimes relegated to remedying a dispute about stolen crab legs between two competing restaurants.

Crab legs.

So, Danny was more than happy to have a slow, easy, boring day, even if the temperature outside mirrored that of the fifth circle of Hell. He was currently parked in Steve's office, a magazine on his lap while Steve filed the report for the crab leg incident; such was his partner's punishment for making fun of Danny's sensitivity to the heat, even if it was below 90 degrees. God, Danny couldn't wait for fall, even if fall meant the high temperature would only hit the mid 70's or so. But fall meant cooler weather, pumpkins, the kids going back to school-

"Steve, have you enrolled Khalid in school yet?" Danny asked suddenly and watched Steve's face morph into Confused-Baby-Seal face.

"Huh?"

Figures. "School? You know that place where kids go to learn math and science and history? They stay there for a few hours every day? Grace and Charlie have gone there most of their lives; you must've noticed."

" _Shit_!"

"So, that's a no." Danny watched Steve race out of the bullpen and out the doors. Junior popped his head out of his office. "Do we need to go? Something happen?"

"Only that that doofus forgot that Khalid is legally required to seek instruction in a school approved by the Hawaii Department of Education."

"Hey, McGarrett just about bowled me over in the hallway downstairs," Lou's announcement just made Danny laugh out loud. "What's so funny?"

"Commander McGarrett forgot to enroll Khalid in school," Junior answered. "Hey, he needs paperwork and stuff for that, doesn't he? Where's all of Khalid's records that his mom left in his backpack?"

"At Steve's house," Danny sighed, pulling out his phone and dialing Steve's number. His amusement kicked up a notch when his partner answered.

" _What, Danny_?"

"Oh, that's nice. That's a nice way to answer the phone when your buddy, who happens to be a father who put two kids through school, calls to try to help you."

" _I'm getting the Secretary of Hawaii DOE on the phone, I'm pretty sure he can help me_."

Boy, Steve didn't miss a beat, did he? Just for kicks, Danny flicked the phone on speaker, seeing that by now, Tani and Adam had joined the mix. "Let me see if I've got this: you're calling the Secretary of Education for Hawaii, a guy that has a seat on the Governor's cabinet, to see if he can scoot Khalid into a school on the quick because you forgot?"

" _Yes_."

"Steve, do you even know what school Khalid's gonna go to?" Lou chimed in with a good question, at least in Danny's opinion.

" _Yea, Aina Haina Elementary, it's right up the road from us. Me and Mary went there. Why am I on speaker phone_?"

"Oh, everyone should enjoy this while they can, babe," Danny outright laughed, not bothering to hide his enjoyment at the panic he knew Steve was feeling at the moment. "Look, you do what you gotta do, but why don't you swing by your place, pick up all that paperwork that Khalid's mom left with him, and then come on back to headquarters."

" _Why would I do that_?"

"Because all of the admission paperwork for the public-school system for Hawaii is online," Danny smartly answered. "And you'll need the records his mom left in his backpack to answer half of the questions you're gonna be asked."

"Hey, don't you have to have a physical too before you get admitted into school?" Tani asked.

"Yes, yes, you do, good point." Danny high fived the woman. "Come back to work, Steve."

" _Fine, I'll be there in a half hour_."

By the close of business, Steve had managed to get in touch with the secretary and put a rush on Khalid's enrollment papers along with copies of the official paperwork assigning Steve as Khalid's temporary guardian while he was in protective custody, with the promise that Steve would get the kid to a doctor by the end of the week for a physical.

Thursday saw Steve at the doctor's office his parents had taken him and Mary to when they'd been kids. The reunion between him and his old pediatrician had been a good, if slightly awkward one. Having to explain how Khalid had come into his charge had been tricky with the kid sitting right on the exam table, shifting from side to side and crinkling the smooth, white tissue paper underneath, but eventually, things got started and the physical went off without a hitch… meaning everything was great until the time came for immunizations.

Steve remembered Danny telling him one time that when he'd taken Grace to get her shots for school, that he'd wanted nothing more than to strangle the nurse giving his beloved daughter the pricks of doom. At the time, Steve had laughed at the story, but now in the face of Khalid's wide, fearful eyes and quivering chin, Steve was fully ready to employ every lethal move the Navy had taught him, old and beloved doctors be damned.

Apparently, the pediatrician, Dr. Kehowa, saw both his and Khalid's distress. "You know there have been quite a few strides made to make this a little easier," she told both of them. She casually reached behind her for what looked like an aerosol can and held it in front of Khalid. "Do you know what this is?"

Khalid shook his head. Steve peered at the can suspiciously.

"It's something that helps freeze your skin so that you don't feel the shot," Dr. Kehowa smiled at him. "I can spray some on your arm and then pinch you with these two fingers, and you tell me if you feel anything, okay?"

Steve glanced down at Khalid, and the kid nodded his head after a few moments. Dr. Kehowa lifted his shirt sleeve, sprayed some of the coolant on the skin and waited a few moments before clicking her two fingers together and giving a pinch to Khalid's arm.

"I didn't feel it!" Khalid looked up at Steve happily.

_Thank God_ , Steve thought to himself, but just in case, he sat down on the table next to Khalid and lifted the boy into his lap, holding him firmly as the first round of vaccinations took place. There were only three, and Khalid took the last one in his opposite arm. They got done with minimal crying, although Khalid did whimper a bit on the last one. "I can feel it," he whined.

"But it's done now," Dr. Kehowa beamed down at him. "All done. You did a fantastic job, Khalid!" She offered Khalid a lollypop.

Steve desperately needed a drink.

**Hawaii Five-0**

**Author's Note: Spoiler alert in paragraphs 2 and 3**!

"No, no, no, no, no, you don't want Marvel," Danny took the Ironman backpack out of Khalid's hands and set it back on its hook. "You want DC Comics, right? Batman?"

"Uh, excuse me," Steve slid on Khalid's other side with Charlie in tow and took the backpack off of its hook again, pushing it towards Khalid. "Ironman is the ultimate hero, okay? He saved the entire world and sacrificed himself in the process-"

"Which he wouldn't have been able to do if Black Widow hadn't sacrificed herself for the Soul Stone, I mean come on!" Danny gaped at him almost like a fish. "Just last Thanksgiving you were saying Batman is the best, now you hop ship because what, a glitzy movie that made more money than my Uncle Vito?"

"Danny, making money - _honestly_ making money? That's a little different than what your Uncle Vito does, alright?"

"Whatever," Danny sniffed. "Charlie's getting the Superman backpack, coz my kid knows Superman is America's original superhero."

90 minutes and $450.00 later – "Steve, you know he doesn't need to have the Five-Star notebooks, those are crazy expensive." – Steve and Danny were wheeling out school supplies, new clothes, and new shoes in a cart, all while toting two excitable kids who couldn't wait to tear into their brand-new gains, to the car.

"Danno, I'm hungry." Charlie looked up at his father while Danny helped Steve settle everything into the truck.

"We got food back at Steve's house, buddy. Barbeque chicken and potato salad." Danny didn't miss the little pout Charlie gave. "You can wait the 15 minutes it takes to get back to Uncle Steve's, don't gimme that look."

Charlie glanced at Khalid, and Danny decided right then and there that it was the funniest thing in the world when his seven-year-old son tried to send casual signals for assistance to his newest partner in crime.

And pick it up, Khalid did. He turned his big, brown, pleading eyes on Steve, and Danny settled in for the show. "But Charlie said there's a really good burger place nearby and they have the best burgers and that I have to try them! Pleeeeeease?"

Danny saw Steve cracking even before the plaintive plea was past Khalid's lips, and when his partner looked at him for help, Danny shook his head. "Nope," he answered, buckling Charlie into the back seat of the truck and motioning for Steve to follow his lead. "Lunch is set, Grace is coming by soon, and it's hot enough out here that the 47 packs of crayons we bought you two are going to melt, so that's that." He gave a firm nod to each boy before backing away from the car and shutting the door, hopping in the front while Steve did the same.

The drive back to Steve's house could best be described as sullen – well, sullen for the two kids in the back who had no burgers to speak of, not sullen for Steve and Danny, who chatted idly back and forth with each other as they let the boys pout behind them. They pulled into Steve's long driveway and Danny noticed that Charlie, and therefore Khalid, were still 'protesting' as it were. Steve, bless his heart, didn't seem to understand what the problem was; in his mind, they'd said no, they were home and the boys could go through all of their school supply loot and play on the beach – what was there to be sad about?

"They're reaching the independent stage," Danny explained as they headed into the kitchen after sending the boys upstairs with the firm instruction to 'chill out'. "Charlie more than Khalid at the moment, but, yea. And you gotta say 'no' to Khalid sometimes, Steve. It's okay to say 'no'. In fact, you gotta tell that kid 'no' more than 'yes', especially at this age."

"Okay, I get what you're saying, but Danny…" Steve heaved a heavy sigh, looking at Danny imploringly. "He's had a rough time, you know? He's lost both of his parents, he's living with someone he hardly knows, he's been taken away from everything he's grown up around, and sometimes-"

Danny arched a brow.

"-okay, fine, a lot of the time, I just want to make him happy, so that he knows he can trust me."

"He knows he can trust you, babe, I promise. You think that kid doesn't trust you?" He pointed towards the ceiling, indicating Khalid. "What did you tell me the first night you were here with him, huh? That he fell asleep on your lap as soon as you picked him up and sat down with him again."

Steve nodded, and Danny thought he looked a little like Khalid in that moment; sufficiently chastised but confused. "You know, when me and Rachel first separated, Grace was just a little older than Khalid. I wasn't able to see her a whole lot because Rachel had kicked me out and I was living in this shitty motel that I didn't even want to be in, let alone allow my daughter in. So, lots of times when I'd go to pick her up, we'd go to the park or the mall or an arcade, some place where we could do things together, and of course, she'd want everything – ice cream or more game tokens or a new shirt – and almost every single time, I'd break and give in to her because I'd uprooted her life so the least I could do was buy her the newest Hannah Montana doll."

"But then, I realized what that was doing to her, how it was making her act." Danny leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. "She didn't realize she was doing it, Grace just knew that if she wanted something and begged and pleaded with me hard enough that she'd get it, and there was one time when rent for the room was due and I couldn't buy her something. She had a complete meltdown like you'd never seen."

"Really?" Steve found that hard to believe; Grace having a tantrum? His face must have shown his disbelief because Danny only nodded his head, every bit of his expression stone serious.

"Grace was a wonderful kid 99 percent of the time, but every kid, no matter how good, has that one percent where they're just awful, and that was her one. But it was mostly my fault because I'd been giving her everything she wanted to work off my guilt for leaving her, for not being with her as much as I wanted to be. I was letting her try to replace me with stuff, even though she didn't know then that that's what she was trying to do." Danny took a breath, forcing himself to smile. He did not like reliving that part of his life. "The point is, uh… that you may not be Khalid's real father, but you're the only father figure the kid's got in his life right now, and you've got to teach him that sometimes, really bad things happen, but it doesn't mean that he's entitled to everything he wants to make it better. He's gotta work through it; things, stuff, toys, and food and anything else you can buy at a store or a McDonald's aren't going to be the answer to most of the problems he's gonna face. He's got you, for the moment. And he's got Charlie, and me to a certain extent, and that's what he needs to lean on."

Steve had been nodding his head slowly as Danny talked. "Yea, you're right," he sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm just-"

Danny blinked. "What are you apologizing for?"

"It's just… as you were talking, every single thing you said made sense – common sense, Danno."

"It's not common sense, Steve, you only learn this stuff when you're a parent and go through it yourself."

The sound of the front door opening and closing got both guys' attention.

"Danno?"

"Kitchen, Grace," Danny grinned, holding up his arms for Grace to walk into, which she did as soon as she saw him. Since he and Rachel had officially ended things and they'd both sat Grace down for a long talk, she was much more herself; smiling, laughing, goofing off, just _happy_. Danny held her tight for a long moment while Steve just smiled softly at both of them. "Alright, Monkey, I think we're making Uncle Steve jealous," Danny kissed the side of her head and encouraged her gently towards Steve, who looped an arm around her shoulders, tucking her against his side. She snuggled in immediately and wrapped her arms around his waist, tilting her chin up.

"So, me and Will were thinking."

Steve nodded. "About?"

"It's our senior year, and we're both doing early applications, but we were working on some of them a few days ago, and we were saying how long it's been since we've had an Ohana party at your house."

Steve grinned. "You thinking a barbeque?"

Grace nodded her head, smiling brightly. "Yea, with everyone; please, Uncle Steve? We both have part time jobs-"

"I know, I pay Will for his job," Steve cracked.

"-and we'll help spring for food and drinks and everything and help clean up after!"

Steve shrugged; why not? "Okay."

Danny just shook his head. "Weak."

"Oh, come on, Danny, I told Khalid and Charlie 'no' once already today-"

"Actually, no, correction, I told Khalid and Charlie 'no' already today."

"-and she did the puppy eyes thing, Danny. You know I have no defense against those! It's not my fault!"

**Hawaii Five-0**

Danny was beyond grateful the following Saturday when he pulled up to Steve's house with Charlie in tow for the Ohana party that Grace had asked (see: begged) for and Steve had acquiesced (see also: folded like a cheap deck of cards) to. Earlier in the week, he and Rachel had sat Charlie down and explained to him that his mother and father weren't going to be seeing each other 'like that' anymore. In truth, it was easier explaining it to Charlie than it had been all those years ago to Grace, because unlike his sister, Charlie had little to no concept of what being a full time nuclear family entailed; he'd never experienced it, at least not when he was old enough to remember it, and only recently had begun spending time with both of his parents for longer than a few hours. Still, it was not a conversation that Danny had wanted to have, and though Charlie took it well and only had a few questions, Danny had left his son with his mother that night, gone home, and cried alone on his couch with a beer in his hand.

Danny had known in the beginning that it had been a long shot. He knew, logically, that the odds of he and Rachel working out were not in their favor, but he still felt he had to try. He could tell Rachel wanted it, wanted it very badly, that one last opportunity to try and make everything right, and how could Danny turn down the chance at having his family back? He couldn't. Danny repeated that to himself as he'd wiped his tears that night, and again and again throughout the week. Steve doggedly tried to get Danny to talk to him, to tell him what was wrong – he knew something was off with his partner, and Steve didn't like it when Danny was off kilter. Actually, since Danny and Rachel had ended it weeks ago, Steve had attempted on multiple occasions to get Danny to open up. When Danny was off, so was Steve, it was just the way they were, but whereas Danny could get by before he and Rachel had told Charlie what was going on, afterwards it was damn near impossible for him to pull his Jersey swagger on like an over coat and act like everything was peachy keen. It wasn't, and Steve knew it.

Yes, Danny had been dodging his partner for the last few days, but he knew that there would be no escaping it today. He took a breath and followed Charlie out of the car and into the house, belatedly noticing that Grace and Will were already there. That was how out of it he was; he had been so unobservant that he hadn't noticed his daughter's or Will's cars (or both – maybe they'd driven separately?) in Steve's driveway. After saying hello to Grace with a kiss and giving Will a hand shake (Danny had been trying to work on treating his daughter's boyfriend as a man and not a kid), Danny moseyed outside, hands in his pockets, to find Steve and Khalid with Charlie hot on his heels. Steve was currently greasing the grill and Danny watched him quietly for a few seconds before announcing his presence. "You need help with anything?"

"Nah, I'm good. Actually, I'm about to go into the kitchen and put all of the meat and chicken on platters."

"I'll help." Danny rocked back and forth on his heels. He waited until Steve was done with the grill and then followed him inside and into the kitchen, not surprised at all to see Mr. Pickles lounging on the food prep counter. The cat was taking over every facet of Steve's house it seemed, and where as Danny would've never allowed a cat to roll about on a surface where food would be prepared for him and his family in his own home, Steve had only shrugged whenever Danny mentioned it, saying only that cats had a way of owning everything in the house. So, Danny lifted a hand and gave the snowy white feline a few gentle strokes, earning a chorus of purrs for his efforts, and went for the cupboards where he knew the platters to be stored while Steve began digging chicken, steak, shrimp, and fish out of the fridge. They worked quietly, comfortably, but Danny could feel the undercurrent of tension in the air, of Steve wanting to ask him how he was doing, what had happened, why he'd been so melancholy lately, but not.

Just not. Just waiting.

For a brief second, Danny thought about leaving the kids there and running back to his place for the day, but quickly pushed that thought aside. For as much as he always berated Steve for keeping all of his feelings inside, Danny couldn't very well continue to do that and shut himself up at the same time.

He liked berating Steve. It was a good time with all the baffled expressions Steve made when Danny did.

The team began to make their way into Steve's house within the next 30 minutes and by mid-afternoon, everyone was either on the beach or lounging in one of the many chairs Steve had dragged out to the lanai with Danny's help. Khalid and Charlie were near the shore building rival sandcastles while Grace and Will kept an eye on them, simultaneously stealing time to themselves away from the adults. Danny didn't bug her, choosing instead to think on how he and Rachel were going to tell the kids that Rachel was moving to Los Angeles. He wasn't worried about Grace; she'd be off to college soon enough. It was Charlie whom he was concerned with. He'd lived with his mother most of his life, and while the news of his father and mother not spending quite so much time together anymore didn't ruffle his feathers too much, the idea of his mother living an ocean away might be a bit much for him to take.

"Danny."

Danny shook his head and looked up at the familiar voice to see Adam standing over him, a bright smile on his face with Jerry standing just behind him and pretty woman by Adam's side whom Danny had never met. "Jerry, Adam, hey. Who's uh… who's your friend?"

"Danny Williams, this is Tamiko Masuda," Adam stepped to the side a bit to present Tamiko, who held out her hand for Danny to shake. He could tell the woman was nervous. Danny didn't blame her, really; a daughter of a Yakuza boss willingly walking into a lions' den of cops?

"Nice to meet you," he told her, taking her hand gently. "Adam's mentioned you once or twice."

"He's talked about all of you quite a bit," Tamiko smiled. "It's nice to put a name to a face."

"Oh, yea, you know, my face being what it is and all," Danny joked. "Did you guys just get here?"

"About ten minutes ago. We talked to Steve and Lou and Renee for a bit before making our way out here." Adam's happiness was radiating off of him, and Danny couldn't help but grin just a little wider. He was happy for his friend. After the last two years with Kono leaving the island and then leaving him, Adam deserved some happiness in his life. Whether or not the woman beside him could provide that remained to be seen, but Danny certainly had no right to give his opinion on the matter, since he'd proven he was no expert himself on that subject. "Well, uh, Adam, you know where everything is. Steve probably won't mind you giving her a tour of the place, just watch out if you find a bazooka laying around here; the guy's an animal, honestly, I'm sure he has an entire arsenal stocked up in a secret room somewhere that I've yet to see."

Tamiko offered a wide smile and a nod. "I'll remember that. It was nice to meet you."

"You too." Danny watched as Adam led Tamiko around with a gentle hand on her lower back and settled back into his seat to look up at Jerry. "Feeling okay?"

"Yea. Still tired, but the docs said that's normal. Apparently, I'm going to be sleeping a lot over the next few months." Jerry didn't seem pleased by that prospect, and Danny could sympathize. "I think I slept more after I was shot two years ago than I had my entire life. At first it was great, catching up on all the sleep Steve made me lose, but it got old pretty quick. But your wound wasn't as bad as mine, and you didn't have to have a dirty, undomesticated beast stick his finger inside you to keep you alive, so. You'll probably be back to normal soon."

"Eh, I guess it could be worse."

Danny blinked. "Yes, Jerry. It could be worse. You could be dead."

"That or I could be missing out on the latest research coming out of Area 51. Hey, did you know that some people are gonna try and storm that place in a few weeks? It's all over social media." With that, Jerry settled into a nearby seat, pulled out a book, and busied himself with reading. Research. Note taking. Whatever the hell it was that Jerry did. Danny didn't know, and he was relatively certain he didn't _want_ to know.

People watching was the name of his game for the time being, at least until Steve crossed in front of him to hand him a beer and sit down beside him. "I don't think I've seen you this quiet in ten years."

"You've only known me for ten years." Danny took a sip from the Longboard.

Steve shrugged; true. He looked out over the beach, his gaze finding and resting on Charlie and Khalid, then on Grace. Eddie had gotten into the mix now and was trotting from one group of minors to the other, checking on his brood. "The kids seem alright."

"Not now, Steve, please," Danny cut him off at the knees and looked at him pleadingly. "Later, okay, I promise, we'll talk about this later, but not now, okay?"

Steve held up a hand. "I swear, I was just making an observation, Danny."

Danny huffed out a sigh and ducked his head, nodding just enough for Steve to see. "I'm worried about you, man," Steve broached softly, so only Danny could hear him. "I know you're not seeing Rachel anymore, but the last couple of days I can tell there's something else eating at you."

Danny turned his head just enough to steal a glance of Steve's earnest, concerned face and exhaled a long and tortured groan, but in truth, Danny was looking forward to getting this conversation over with. He needed to talk, needed to get out how he was feeling and thinking, needed someone to do that with. Steve was always the perfect person for that, and so was Danny for him, on the rare occasion Steve chose to bear his soul. "Tonight, when everyone's left, okay? When the kids are asleep. Alright?"

Steve accepted that and leaned back into his chair, content to sit in peace with his partner until it was time for him to get the meat on the grill. The rest of their ohana filled in. Nahele showed up with Kamekona and Flippa, which was absolutely expected. Steve was beyond thrilled to see him; it had been a few months since he and Nahele had caught up and Steve spent a good 20 minutes chatting with the kid before urging him to have his fill of the appetizers available before the main courses were served. Noelani had dropped by for a little while but wasn't able to stay, something about a private investigator who was wanting answers on an autopsy she'd finished just the other day. "He's very persistent; he actually reminds me of you, Commander."

Steve furrowed his brow. "Why's that?"

"I guess it's just a trait you Navy SEALs inherit in your training." She grinned and allowed Steve to laden her down with a plate of potato salad, vegetables, and other finger foods before she left.

Finally, Steve deemed the grill ready for grilling and it seemed everyone who had been meandering about inside the house or playing down on the beach found their way to the lanai. Within a half hour, sitting in chairs, sprawled out on the lawn or the sand, or laying in the hammock, everyone was eating, drinking, laughing – even Danny, who'd parked himself on the grass next to Charlie and Khalid and managed to push aside his guilt and regret long enough to enjoy the happy giggles and wide smiles messy with ketchup and mustard that came from the youngest among them. The boys were going to be hard to put to bed tonight, but this moment right here, in Steve's back yard, surrounded by their family, stuffing their faces with food on a moderately temperate day would be well worth the whining and kvetching and negotiating the kids would be attempting in an effort to stay up as late as they could.

The day wore on, more food than was polite was consumed in a single backyard, and the skies began to darken with the setting sun, turning the horizon into a flourish of deep oranges and blushing pinks. Kame, Flippa, and Nahele all left together, owing to the need to work at the restaurant or the shrimp truck the next morning. About an hour after they'd left, Lou set his empty beer bottle on a table and stood up. "I think me and the misses are gonna head on home now, try and get in a few hours of quiet time before _the boy has to be home at midnight_." He intentionally raised his voice so that Will heard his curfew mandate; a raised hand belonging to the youngest Grover was the only answer Lou got. Steve stood up to give Lou a hug and a hearty clap on the back, nearly bumping into Junior and Tani as he stepped back. Steve observed them with an innocent look. "Oh, you guys heading out too? So early?"

Junior, God bless him, had nothing for Steve except a 'yes, sir'. Tani shook her head, rolled her eyes, grumbled something like, "yea, yea, yea, you're one to talk," and what that meant, Steve had no idea, nor was he going to take the time to ask. Tani was a firecracker, and Steve had learned that sometimes, it was better to leave her off-handed comments alone, unless he wanted to be presented with a truth he had neither considered nor even knew existed. He saw the foursome out with waves and offers of food to take with them that all of them rejected.

"Someone, please take some of the chicken with them," Steve whined as he padded back onto the lanai in bare feet, meeting Adam, Tamiko, and Jerry who also looked to be making their way out. In the end, they all accepted leftovers – Jerry took double – and then it was getting Khalid and Charlie in the bath and ready for bed.

"M'not tired," Khalid whined. Steve thought it was hilarious that even while he was protesting as vigorously as he could, Khalid's eyes were falling closed as Steve carried him upstairs.

Danny recruited Grace, Charlie, and Will to help in the cleanup, at least until it was time for Charlie to have a bath, and then Danny sent him upstairs with, just as Steve had experienced with Khalid, many assurances from his young son that he was not, in fact tired, and he was good to stay up much later than normal.

Danny knew as soon as Charlie's head hit the pillow he'd be asleep in ten minutes, but he kept that little nugget of knowledge to himself, knowing it would only spur the argument on. He continued cleaning up the kitchen, bringing dishes in for washing, storing away food in plastic bags and Tupperware. Grace and Will worked alongside him, and Danny did his best to ignore the cute, adoring smiles the two teenagers were sending behind his back and over his head. He tried, he really did.

"You two are driving me nuts," he finally muttered, taking a plate out of Graces hands and tugging her forward to press a kiss into her hair. "I didn't see which of your cars were outside; did you both drive?"

"I drove us both, Mr. Williams," Will raised his hand. Danny did his best not to grumble about that too.

"Grace, you staying here for the night or heading back to Mom's?"

"I told Mom I'd be home by midnight."

Danny sighed, rolling his eyes heavenward. "Go on, get out of here, both of you." At Grace's surprised look, Danny waved his hands at her. "It's Saturday night, you've both got a few hours before your curfew. Be safe, don't go crazy, give yourselves plenty of time to get home, but… you know. Go have fun." He blinked when they didn't move, too stunned to take him up on his advice. "Unless you want to have me and Steve breathing down your necks until it's time to leave-"

"Going!" Grace announced, hugging her father tightly and pulling away to grab Will's hand. "Thank you, Danno!"

"Yea, yea, yea – hey, no speeding! No rolling stops, either, and make sure those headlights are on!"

His only answer was the slamming of the door. "Typical."

He was only alone for a few minutes before he heard Steve coming down the stairs. "Hey, was that Will and Grace leaving?"

"Yea," Danny was now washing the dishes, his forearms covered in soap suds and drenched in water. "I told them to head on out. I don't know what I was thinking when I told them that. I must have slipped and bumped my head on something today, probably got a concussion and that's why I don't remember it." He heard Steve laughing behind him and looked over his shoulder to glower at the other man. "It's just like you to laugh at my pain."

"Danny, she's almost 18, so is Will; you did the right thing, letting them go out together instead of keeping them here and making them clean up," Steve sidled alongside his partner and took a dish Danny had just finished washing, drying it with a towel. "Charlie's out of the bath. I'll take over here, go say good night."

That was the best idea Danny had heard all day, and he did just that, deciding to wipe his hands on the back of Steve's shirt rather than on the towel. Steve's indignant yelp followed him out of the kitchen and up the stairs, Danny snickering to himself the entire way. He was pleased to see Charlie all scrubbed up and clean, and in bed talking quietly to Khalid, or to himself; Khalid looked like he was down and out for the count already. Danny shuffled over to Charlie's side and knelt down. "Hey, buddy. Who you talking to?"

"Khalid." Charlie's tone indicated that he didn't understand why his father was asking him that question, because it was quite obvious that Khalid was right across the room in his own bed. Danny just grinned. "I think he's asleep already."

"Danno, I'm not tired-"

"Oh, yea? Well, okay, tell you what." Danny tugged the sheets and covers up a little more around Charlie. "If you're still awake when I come check on you in a half hour, I'll bring you back downstairs and you can hang out with me and Uncle Steve for a little while, okay?"

That mollified Charlie and stopped an argument all at the same time. Danny brushed a hand over his son's head before getting up and turning off the light to the room, leaving the door open a crack. His kid was going to be asleep in the next five minutes, Danny knew as he traipsed back down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Where he did not find Steve. He did, however, notice the lights still on outside and a shadow stretching across the lanai.

Steve was ready to talk, or, more accurately, Steve had been waiting for Danny to talk and he was now done waiting. Danny made his way out to the lanai, grabbed the beer that was waiting for him, and took his seat beside Steve, leaving the door open enough so that they could hear if one or both of the kids needed them. "Enjoying the view?"

Steve shrugged. "It's a little dark to really see the ocean."

Danny nodded, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He was tired, suddenly, and any fight or consternation he'd had earlier about this conversation blew away with the ocean breeze. "You obviously know Rachel and I have stopped seeing each other."

"You didn't say anything, but I figured that out, yea." Steve watched him quietly. "But that's not what's made you all mopey most of the week."

"Mopey?"

"Mopey, yea. Mopey, melancholy, morose-"

"Okay, alright, enough with the alliteration synonyms," Danny rolled his eyes. Steve grinned and drink from his beer. "Rachel and I sat Charlie down and told him that we were going back to the way we were before, that we weren't going to be seeing each other anymore."

Steve's head nodded slowly up and down as he digested that. "He didn't seem too bothered today."

"Well, Charlie's known me for four years of the seven he's been alive, and for about six and a half of those, his parents lived separately," Danny picked at an odd string on his jeans. "I guess it was weirder for him for us to be together – God," he laughed bitterly. "And pretty soon we gotta tell him that his mother, who he has lived with for most of his life, is moving to Los Angeles to take a job and that he's gonna be living with me most of the time." Danny set the beer down and held his head in his hands. "Fucking Christ, Steve, what the Hell was I _thinking_?"

"Danny, stop it, okay?" Steve lifted himself out of his seat to crouch in front of Danny. "You were thinking that maybe your kid could have a whole family, and one house to live in, and not have to split holidays."

"I know that, I get that, but – Steve, when I had to tell Grace, the worst thing was knowing that I'd failed her, that I'd failed my family. Just because Charlie took the news that me and Rachel weren't seeing each other anymore well, just because he didn't cry, it doesn't – and I'm not saying that I wish he _hadn't_ taken it as good as he did, I just –"

"You still feel like you failed your family," Steve slid his hands up Danny's arms to settle on his shoulders. "Danny, look at me, okay? Look at me." He waited until Danny's bleary eyes were on his. "You remember after Joe died, and I was going through it? You wouldn't leave me alone? You told me I had to forgive myself because I couldn't save Joe? You have to forgive yourself for this. You tried, you and Rachel both, you tried, and it didn't work. But Danny, that does not make you irresponsible, and it doesn't make you selfish, and it does not, _does not_ make you a bad father."

Steve wasn't sure if Danny heard him, truly heard him, but he got a nod out of his partner, and that was enough for now. "Did I hear you right? Rachel's moving to Los Angeles?"

"Yea," Danny scrubbed his hands over his eyes. "We talked about a lot of things when we called it quits and that was one of them." He looked sorrowfully at Steve. "We're gonna work out the visitation between ourselves; we promised no lawyers. We're better now, we can at least do that. She really wanted to take the job. She's gonna find a condo in L.A. big enough for her and the kids when they visit."

Steve took a deep breath, processing that very precise and significant information. "Okay. She's really gonna leave Charlie here with you? I mean, she's…" Steve didn't want to make the comparison to his own mother leaving him and Mary for a job, but quietly, in his own mind, he couldn't help it.

"I know what you're thinking," Danny muttered, and of course he did, what was Steve even thinking trying to hide it? "When we had that big fight, one of the things I told her was that she wasn't taking Charlie away from me again, that I'd fight for him. I uh… I told her I'd tell the court everything about what happened, what she did with keeping him from me and all that if she tried it." He didn't miss Steve's wince, and didn't blame him for it either. "Yea, that… that was when we were already pissed off, so. Me saying that didn't help."

"I don't know, Danny, I just…." Steve sat back on his heels a little, trying to frame what he wanted to say in a way that wouldn't put Rachel in the running right behind his own mother when it came to choosing careers over children.

"It's a big position," Danny explained softly. "She's running an entire division. She'd be made a vice president of the company, she can live in L.A. most of the time, and then come back to Honolulu for a week or ten days to work in the office here. Charlie would still have regular contact with her, and on long weekends, he'd go and visit with her. We're gonna figure out all the holidays later, but I've agreed to four to six weeks in the summer where he can stay with her."

"Okay," Steve reluctantly bit out. He didn't agree with it, he didn't like it, he personally felt like Rachel was choosing her job over her child, and with Steve's history that hit far too close to home for him, but Charlie wasn't his son. He could only object but so much. _You can't object at all. Charlie's not your kid, no matter how much you want him to be_.

Sometimes, Steve really wished his brain would just shut up. "Is there anything else?"

Danny laughed. "Isn't that enough?"

"So that's a yes," Steve smiled a little. "C'mon, Danny, you've been carrying this around with you, you're losing your mind, you can't focus. You're gonna go insane if you don't get this all out. Talk to me."

But Danny shook his head, pushing himself up. "That was the big thing, the uh, the me feeling like a worthless parent thing. The rest isn't important. Just… just stuff that people say when they're fighting and angling to hurt the other person." He tugged Steve up to stand with him. "We should finish cleaning up."

Against his better judgement, Steve followed Danny back into the house, effectively tabling the conversation.

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'Storm Area 51' thing was so hyped at the time I was writing this, I figured it would be a good time marker to mention :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I should, I shouldn’t – “ Danny laughed, scrubbing his face with his hands, “it’s crazy, but maybe not so crazy, now that I’ve had almost two months to think about it, you know?”  
> Steve waited him out, watched Danny as Danny watched him sit down in the chair on the other side of the table.
> 
> “Long story short, Rachel thinks I’m more committed to our relationship, you and me, our friendship, than I am to her, and that I always have been, and she thinks that’s because I’m in denial about being in love with you.”
> 
> Steve was exceedingly glad he hadn’t sipped his drink yet. He blinked, shifted in his seat, turned Danny’s words over in his mind, and then answered. 
> 
> “What?”

**Hawaii Five-0**

In his life, Steve had seen things no human being should ever witness. He'd done things for his country, for his teams, for his ohana that the average person might consider at best circumspect and at worst downright evil. He was no stranger to fear or terror, had been at home on bloody, war torn battle fields for years before he went into the reserves and became a civilian.

None of that, not one single, solitary second of it, had prepared him for Khalid's first day of school.

"What if he hates it? What if he gets made fun of, Danny?" Steve's eyes were wide. Danny could hear him breathing in short, shallow breaths. His partner's posture was rigid, on full alert as they waited at a bus stop – a bus stop, of all places – at the park down the street where, currently, Khalid was running around with a bunch of other kids as they waited on the bus, or the Big Cheese, as Danny was so fond of calling it.

"Breathe, Steve, okay? Just breathe. He's gonna be fine. Alright? You've gone to the open house, you met his teacher, met some of the other parents, yea?" Steve nodded, glancing around furtively. "Good, and Khalid saw his classroom, saw his desk, and he got to meet a couple of the other kids too, right?"

Again, Steve nodded, but Danny wasn't sure if it was because Steve actually heard what he was saying or if it was just reflex at this point. "Babe, look at me."

Steve did glance down at him, anxious eyes blinking rapidly as he swallowed. Danny noticed they were a stormy sea green this morning; why Danny noticed he had no idea, nor did he want to spend too terribly long on figuring it out. "You have to relax, alright? I know this is nerve racking, I know this is terrifying for you, sending that kid into an environment that he doesn't know and you don't know, and you won't get to know until it's been a couple of weeks. But we've all gone through this, right? You got sent to school by your folks and so did I. I've had to send Grace and Charlie to their first days of school, and I get it – every conceivable thing that can go wrong went through my head – they get bullied, or the teacher picks on them, or they get lost on their way to class, they forget their lunch, and that's before the real world fears."

Steve's nostrils flared, a distressed moan at the mention of 'real world fears'. Danny backtracked quickly, if only to save this conversation. "The point is, is that Khalid's gonna be fine. I mean look at him over there." He pointed to where Khalid was slipping down a slide to run after with a group of kids who were also experiencing their first, first day at school. Steve recognized one or two of the tykes as being in Khalid's class and took a breath. "And he still has his panic button if anything goes wrong…"

"Exactly," Danny nodded, choosing to sidestep the joke he would've ordinarily made at Steve's expense about being over-protective. One, wrong place, wrong time. Two, Khalid still having the panic button was actually merited, which was sad in its own way. "He's alright, babe. Okay? He is. And good thing too, because here comes the bus."

It went too quick to Steve's liking, mainly because he had no time to question the bus driver on her length of service and qualifications or certifications. One of the mothers who had three children getting on the bus and who clearly saw Steve's look of distress as he watched Khalid climb the big steps and find a seat took pity on him. "She's been our kids' bus driver ever since they started at Aina Haina. She's extremely capable, I promise."

Steve furrowed his brow at her.

The woman offered a knowing grin. "Your face? It's kind of like a running movie of fear and terror and all the bad things that can happen when you send your child to school for the first time," she laughed. "Don't worry, we've all been there. Is he your first child?"

"Uh…" Steve cleared his throat, looking at Danny for help. "Yes?"

Danny rolled his eyes.

"It gets easier, I promise. Aina Haina is one of the best elementary schools on Ohau. The parents, the teachers, the kids, the administration – they're all wonderful, and very supportive. Your son will be just fine, especially if he makes friends with his classmates as easily as he did here this morning." With that, she smiled brightly at them, waved goodbye to her kids as the bus pulled away, and headed across the street to her SUV, pulling away within a few moments and leaving Steve standing there in the middle of the street completely dumbstruck. Danny couldn't really blame him and tapped him on the shoulder. "C'mon, goofy. I'll drive."

**Hawaii Five-0**

Steve raced down the alleyway, Danny hot on his heels. Tani, Lou, and Junior had gone down the block to head off their suspects at the other end. Adam and Jerry were back at headquarters, talking in five pairs of ears, giving directions, alerting HPD, watching the backs of their teammates.

" _Guys, heads up: traffic cameras have an SUV coming down the street at a high speed, closing in on Tani, Junior, and Lou's position_." There was a beat, then Junior's voice, strained with the tell-tale signs of running at a high rate of speed, came through the comms. " _Eyes on the SUV_."

A smattering of gun fire erupted. So did Steve. "Junior!"

" _Not friendly, not friendly_!"

"No shit," Danny muttered, picking up the pace as their suspects shot out of the alley ahead of them. "Lou, Tani, suspects are out of the alley and in the street!"

" _Got 'em_ ," came Tani's response. Danny was familiar enough with the sound of her service weapon and knew she was returning fire, likely covering Junior so that he could find cover. "Steve, we gotta get this off the street."

" _Junior_!"

Tani's frantic voice came through the radio as finally, Steve and Danny broke out onto the street and right into bedlam. Civilians were either running away from the gun fire, diving into storefronts, or crouching behind their cars in an effort to avoid the very real, life threatening inconvenience of being shot. Steve pushed forward, firing directly at the SUV where he could see their suspects running towards, taking advantage of the cover fire their accomplices were laying down for them. Both Steve and Danny returned fire, pushing onward until they reached a truck they could hide behind. Steve pressed a finger to his ear, securing his radio. "Junior, you okay?"

" _Gunshot wound to the right leg_ ," came Tani's response. Steve peaked over the truck, laying eyes on Tani hunched over someone, Junior, Steve assumed, across the street and up ahead just a bit. Lou was with there with them. Steve watched his friend fire off a round and drop one of their suspects. The other criminals, with their car having arrived, dove into the SUV, their friends right behind them. As the vehicle sped by, Steve and Danny leapt into the street, firing off a few shots each with no joy. The SUV shot out of sight, tires screeching the entire way.

"Yea, this is Detective Danny Williams, badge number 7675. I've got an officer down, corner of Maunakea Street and North Hotel Street. Gunshot wound to the right leg, officers on hand to assist." Danny listened for a few seconds before disconnecting the call and shoving his cell phone in his pocket as he kept pace with Steve. "EMS is on the way."

"Good. Try and get as many people off the street as you can. When HPD gets here, shut down this block and the one's on either side, all three blocks," Steve stepped onto the sidewalk, making his way over to Junior within a few seconds. "Tani, back." She moved to the other side, letting Steve take over seeing to the wound.

"Not bad, Sir," Junior winced. "Definitely had worse."

"EMS will be here soon; let's get you stabilized and let Queen's worry about how bad it is." Steve sat up enough to unbuckle his belt. "Tani, get my knife, cut his pants leg above the wound, get it off of him."

When HPD pulled up a few seconds later, Lou and Danny handled the officers and forensics arriving on the scene while Tani and Steve saw to Junior. Steve slipped his belt above Junior's wound, creating a makeshift tourniquet in doing so. "Sorry, buddy; it's not gonna tickle." Steve warned, right before he tightened the belt. To Junior's credit, he knew that already and grit his teeth as Steve worked on him. Tani continued to hold what was left of his pants leg against his wound, doing her level best to help stop the bleeding until the tourniquet was secured. Thankfully, it was only three minutes later that they heard the sirens of an ambulance. EMS came to a halt a few feet away. Steve stood up to get their attention.

"Gunshot wound, upper right leg. I've applied a tourniquet. It's been on for less than five minutes," Steve reported, stepping back to let the EMS personnel work on Junior. Tani stood as well, the now shredded and bloodied pants leg still clinging to her fingers. Steve didn't miss a beat when he said, "Tani, ride with him. Keep us updated."

She threw him a grateful look, and once Junior was up on a stretcher and being rolled towards the ambulance, Tani trotted alongside, climbing in after Junior was placed in the back. Once EMS pulled away, Steve headed over to Lou and Danny. "Tani's gone to Queens with Junior. She'll let us know what's going on there." He stepped out of the way of a forensic tech and moved to the side, Danny and Lou following him.

"Ever since Jin Leung died, the crime in Chinatown has done nothing but gone up and get worse," Lou muttered. "Never thought I'd see the day when I'd mourn the death of a mob boss."

"Yea, well, part of the reason HPD and Five-0 generally left Leung alone was because he kept the peace," Steve explained. "It's the same agreement we had with the Kapu years ago; if they did anything outright, they knew we'd arrest them, but Kawika made sure to cooperate with us when things got real."

"Well, what's real is we got a team mate on his way to the hospital with a busted leg and a war in Chinatown in the middle of the day." Danny snagged his fingers into the 'v' of his vest. "Anyone catch the ink on one of the suspects arms?" Both Steve and Lou shook their heads. "Why; did you?" Steve asked.

"I'm pretty sure I saw a partial sleeve tattoo, yea."

"So, what are you thinking? Turf battle between the Triad now that Leung is dead?" Lou asked. "Because if that's the case, that's gonna get messy real quick."

"No kidding," Steve muttered. Lou was right. The Triad wasn't like the Yakuza, all strict, rigid familial structure and multiple bosses and lieutenants in waiting. If a war was brewing within the Triad on the island, or between them and the Yakuza, Chinatown was going to serve as its theatre. He pressed a finger to his ear. "Jerry, Adam, are you there?"

Adam's voice came through first. "We're here, Steve. Is everyone okay?"

"Junior's on his way to the hospital with a gunshot wound. Tani went with him. Hey, Danny said that he was pretty sure he saw some ink on the arm of one of our suspects. Jerry, I need you to start pulling all the camera footage you can get – traffic cameras, security cameras from the stores and restaurants around the area, ATM feeds, anything. If we can find the guy, I want to see if we can get an ID on him, or anyone else he was with."

"Got it, Boss." Jerry was on the case, and Steve knew there was no one better to process the likely hundreds of images Jerry was going to be downloading in the next few hours.

"We'll check in after we see how Junior's doing but let us know if you find anything."

"Will do," Adam signed off, the radio going quiet.

"Alright," Steve rolled his shoulders, looking at Danny and Lou. "Let's see what the techs can find."

**Hawaii Five-0**

It was three hours before Steve, Danny, and Lou left the crime scene. Lou and Danny headed back to headquarters while Steve swung by Queen's Medical, intent on finding out how Junior was doing. His purposeful strides into the hospital's emergency waiting room were enough to catch Tani's attention as she looked up from her place against the wall.

"How is he?"

"He's in surgery now," Tani rubbed her face with her hands and scraped her hair back roughly, shaking her head. "I was right behind him, I was _right there_ , I should've seen the angle-"

"Hey, no, stop that, none of that," Steve backed her against the wall, a finger up in warning. "Do not do that. There's one person to blame here, and that's the shooter, alright? You know that. I know that. Junior knows it too. These things happen, Tani."

"I know, I just… I keep going over and over in my mind why I didn't see it. If I had, I could've called out, warned him, something."

"No offense, Tani, but Junior's been in a lot worse fire fights than what happened today," Steve rested a gentle hand on her shoulder, squeezing it softly. "He's gonna be fine, alright? I've seen wounds like his before, Hell, I've _had_ wounds like his before. He'll be okay."

Tani nodded, sucking in a calming breath and letting out. "What did you guys find at the crime scene?"

"Lots of shell casings and bullets that match what the Yakuza have used in the past." Steve turned, putting his back against the wall next to her. "You remember who Jin Leung is?"

"Yea, he's the guy that made Danny fight his grand kid, right? The Triad boss?"

Steve grinned; that had been funny. Terrifying at the time, considering that Steve was sure he and Danny were going to be forcibly fed some lead when Danny beat the pants off of Leung's grandson, but now it was a fond memory that Steve looked back on when he needed a laugh or five. Danny, not so much. "Yea, that's him. He died a few months ago, so, we're thinking turf war."

"Fantastic," Tani groaned, ducking her head and rubbing the back of her neck. "A turf war between the Triad and Yakuza, that's just what we need." She looked at him. "Are you going to talk to Adam?"

"Probably, yea. He may be out of the Yakuza now, but he still knows the players there, and the Triad, too."

"Yea… he still knows the players. He's dating one of the players' daughter's," Tani pointed out, a sad quirk to her lips. "Is there anything else that points to the Yakuza?"

"Danny's pretty sure he saw tattoos on at least one of our suspects, so we're getting Jerry to look through street cam footage to see if he can get us some clear pictures of their faces we can run through the facial rec software and if not that, maybe some photos of the ink so we can compare them to the files, and try to make an ID that way."

Steve saw her nod out of the corner of his eye, but her gaze was fixed on the resolute brown doors in front of them, doors that only doctors and nurses in every imaginable color of scrub uniform could go through, doors she couldn't access. Steve knew that feeling very well, the utter feeling of helplessness, powerlessness that went with this God forsaken waiting. He wasn't surprised when she changed the subject and asked how Khalid was liking school.

"He loves it," he laughed, tilting his head back with a silly grin on his face. "He loves it, he really does. He likes his teacher, and he likes his little desk pod mates – you know, they push four of the desks together to make a little square pod so they don't feel so alone, and they can socialize when they're allowed free time. You know, it's only been two weeks and he's already got invited to a kid's birthday party next month." If the ridiculous amount of pride on Steve's face shone right through, he didn't care. "I was a little worried he was gonna have some trouble adjusting, but it seems like he's doing just fine."

Tani outright laughed at him, and the prideful expression on Steve's face morphed to one of confused curiosity. "What's so funny?"

"You were a _little_ worried? Boss, you downloaded the specs of the school and made multiple, detailed plans for escape routes. You sourced where they purchase the food they use in the cafeteria, you even did background checks on every single member of the administration and every kindergarten teacher!"

"Hey, the escape routes are important for everybody, okay? If something goes down at the school, we need to know where every bathroom is, every classroom, every janitors closet-"

"And the research on where the food comes from?"

"Lots of studies show that kids learn better when they're eating clean and organic foods! I wanted to make sure it wasn't all processed, fried junk!" Steve blinked at her, wide eyed. Surely there wasn't anything wrong with that?

Tani arched a brow, letting that one go too. "And the slightly illegal criminal checks you ran on everyone without their consent?"

"You never know these days, okay? I've watched the news; they'll let anybody into these schools now!"

"You know, I have a feeling Danny wasn't as bad as you're being when he sent his kids to school for the first time, not even with Grace, and that's saying something." But Tani didn't poke at him any further. "I actually think it's really sweet, McGarrett. I know Khalid is the kid here and he's the one who needs someone looking after him and protecting him and giving him lots of love, but I think he's done just as much for you as you've done for him."

Steve was saved from giving a response by an aristocratic looking man wearing blue scrubs and a surgical mask hanging about his neck walking out of the automatic doors in front of them. Tani pushed off the wall, her fingers wringing together nervously. The doctor sized them up. "Commander McGarrett, I take it you're not just stopping by?"

"Dr. Roper," Steve shook the doctor's hand firmly. "This is Tani Rey, Junior's partner. How's he doing?"

"He's stable. We got the bullet and shrapnel out, repaired some of the damage to the muscle and surrounding tissue, but no major arteries or veins were hit. He'll be off his feet for a few weeks, but with his age, his health, his high level of physical fitness, I have no reason to doubt that he'll make a full recovery."

"Can we see him?" Tani asked hopefully. "Can he go home?"

"He's in post op right now. We're going to keep him overnight for observation and to give him a good head start on receiving anti-biotics, but if all goes well, he should be able to go home sometime tomorrow."

"That's great news; see, Tani? Dr. Roper's got everything under control, he worked on me a few years ago when I got the same injury." Steve beamed, like the fact he and Junior had both been shot in the same place and treated by the same doctor was some kind of achievement and moment worth of recognition and bonding. Dr. Roper gave a wry smile. "Yes, but as I recall, unlike you, Commander McGarrett, Officer Reigns has elected to remain in the hospital, rather than self-discharge."

"Why does that not surprise me," Tani muttered. "When can Junior start having visitors?"

"We'll get him into a room within the hour, but if you'd like to come back with me, I can take you to recovery. He's still asleep, but you can sit with him until he wakes up."

"Go," Steve nodded at her. "Keep us posted."

Tani went.

**Hawaii Five-0**

It was October before Junior came back to work full time, and although he couldn't yet run-down suspects on the street or do much field work, he could still contribute in the office and participate in interviews. Tani took over driving him to his physical therapy sessions, and no one bothered to stand in her way when it was time for one of his appointments. As Junior and Tani were leaving for his last meeting with his physical therapist for the week, Steve bid them both goodbye and told them to enjoy an early weekend.

"Sir, we can come back," Junior wrinkled his forehead. Steve got it; Junior was feeling less than useful right now, like he wasn't carrying his fair share of the weight, but if there was one thing McGarrett could teach his SEAL mate, it was that it was actually okay to take it just a little bit easy when you were young and injured.

"Don't worry about it, Junior. I'm kicking everyone else out here in a little bit too. Grace and Will's senior home coming dance is tonight and she and Will want pictures on the beach, so."

"Ah, so entirely selfish reasons then," Tani grinned at him.

"Like you don't have selfish reasons of your own in this particular set up, eh?" Steve offered up an innocent smile. Tani flushed visibly. "Yea, yea, whatever," she muttered, urging Junior out the door and away from what she knew would be a rather uncomfortable conversation.

An hour later, with Danny and Lou assuring Steve that they'd be over to his house at the appointed time with their respective children in tow, Steve ordered everyone out of the office and to be at his place no later than six that evening. He only had a few hours before his house was invaded by well-dressed teenagers and nervous, sentimental parents, and Steve used every single minute to his advantage. Making sure he had enough time before Khalid's school let out, he headed over to the local market, picking up salmon, steaks, vegetables, and other essentials for the night. Knowing that Lou and Danny would be feeling heartsick, Danny especially, Steve bought two six packs of Longboards along with two bottles of wine.

He'd made it home and had just managed to put everything in the fridge in time to meet Khalid's bus. The kid jumped off the bus and ran right for Steve, waving a haphazard arm over his head at the kids who were yelling their goodbyes to him. Steve caught the kid in mid launch and yell, so much so that Khalid was shouting in Steve's face. "I need a costume for Hal'ween!"

"A costume for Halloween, huh?"

"We get to dress up and learn about Hal'ween and we have to dress up to get candy and there's a big party and my teacher wrote a note with my folder for you to read-"

Khalid went on and on all the way back to Steve's house, and Steve just soaked it all in, mostly listening to Khalid but also reminiscing on the fun things he got to do when he was a kid in elementary school and holidays came around.

"Okay, so you've got homework, yea?"

"Yea!"

"What's your homework?"

Khalid stopped and blinked; hadn't they covered this already? "I need a Hal'ween costume!"

Steve smothered a laugh. "So, your homework is you have to find a costume; alright, that won't be too hard. You got that letter from your teacher?"

Khalid dug into his backpack and fairly threw the letter at Steve in excitement. "Go upstairs and put your stuff away and change your clothes. We've got a lot of people coming over tonight and I'm gonna need your help getting everything ready, okay?"

"Charlie?"

"Yep, Charlie's coming over and so is Grace, Danno's gonna be here, and Will too, you remember Will? The guy who watched you all summer while I was at work?" Steve watched as Khalid's eyes widened so much, he was worried the kid would strain them. "Yea, lots of people, so go upstairs, put your stuff away, change your clothes and then come back down here and we can talk about what kind of costume you want while we get everything ready for tonight, alright?"

That was good enough for Khalid, and when he made it back downstairs to Steve, they both filled the time with cleaning up the backyard (a challenge when Eddie thought it was the perfect time to play), along with the living room and bathroom before setting to prepping the fish, steaks, and veggies Steve had picked up for the evening. Through it all, Khalid rattled off costume after costume option, everything from Iron Man – "I can match my backpack!" to Scooby Doo, someone named Marco Diaz from a show about a star and evil – Steve was going to have to check into that one, or at the very least ask Danny about it, to King Kamehameha himself. "Maybe not the King, buddy," Steve chuckled.

"Why?"

"Because King Kamehameha is a very important, very respected figure in history on the islands, and some people might be a bit uncomfortable with kids dressing up as him and reducing him to a costume."

"What's 'weduce'?"

"Reduce," Steve repeated, emphasizing the 'R' as he grabbed a squash and began slicing it, "means to make something smaller. King Kamehameha is such a big, important person in Hawaiian history, especially to native Hawaiians, that they may be a little upset. They may think that dressing up as him for a holiday makes him smaller than what he is."

"Oh," Khalid, sitting on a stool Steve had bought especially for him so that he could be level with the food prep counter while helping with dinner most nights, seemed to think hard about that as he broke a green bean in half. "Then I won't dress up as him, then."

"There's all kinds of people and characters and costumes to dress up as. The Halloween stores are open now and Charlie and Danny are spending the night here tonight, so what do you say to me talking with Danno and seeing if he and Charlie want to go shopping with us this weekend? Look for a costume for both you and Charlie, huh?"

Khalid's cheer and air punch bounced off the walls in the kitchen, spooking Mr. Pickles, who had been comfortably resting on the counter next to the stove. The cat stood up, stretched, turned around a few times, and then settled back down, curling his tail to his nose and letting out an annoyed huff.

"Sorry, Mr. Pickles," Khalid whispered. Steve laughed.

Time passed relatively quickly, and Steve was just setting the pasta salad in the fridge when he heard the door open and close. Knowing it was Danny, Steve called out "in here!" and in a few seconds, he saw a short, blonde head peek into the kitchen. Charlie waved at Khalid and moved to stand right beside him. "Hi, Uncle Steve."

"Hey, Charlie," Steve reached across the food prep table and gave the kid a fist bump. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Charlie's face looked pinched, and Steve tilted his head to the side. "Everything okay?"

"I'm losing my mind," Danny muttered as he walked in.

"Say no more," Steve swallowed a snicker, clearing his throat a little. "Hey, Charlie, Khalid needs some ideas for a Halloween costume. Think you can help him out and hang out in the living room? Make a list? You know where the paper and pens and stuff are in the desk, right?"

Charlie nodded as Khalid hopped down and the two boys headed out of the kitchen. Steve couldn't help but notice Charlie was a few paces ahead of Khalid, and really, one look at Danny told the story why. He could only describe his partner as looking 'frazzled'. "You want a beer?"

"I want a mallet, Steven. I want a mallet, a big, ACME mallet that you can hit me over the head with and put me out of my misery."

"Danny, come on, you've sent Grace to homecoming dances before. I know because I was there for all three of them."

"Yes, but this is her last one, Steve. Her last homecoming dance, and do you know what that means? What comes next after that?"

Steve shook his head.

"Prom." Danny said the word with such morose that Steve was tempted to offer him a tissue. "Prom, then Senior Day, then… then it's graduation, and it all seems like such a long way off, months away, next year, but it'll be here before I know it. Then, she'll be off to college, and… you know, 'bye, bye, Danno.'"

Usually, Steve would poke some fun at Danny in situations like this where his dramatics at watching his daughter grow up were ruling his emotions and head, but Steve could tell this was not the time for that. Grace and Will would be showing up in less than an hour for photos, and Danny needed to be as happy as he possibly could be for that so as not to put a damper on Grace's night. Or Will's for that matter. Steve padded across the tile floor and tugged Danny towards him, letting his partner hide his face in his shoulder for a few seconds, which Danny took full advantage of.

"I know it's stupid," he mumbled. Steve could feel Danny's mouth moving against his shirt. "I'm so proud of her, Steve. She's gone through so much. My baby girl deserves nothing but happiness, nothing but the best tonight, and I'm going to give her that, but… you know."

"It's hard letting go, buddy. I get it," Steve didn't actually, not really. Grace was as close to a daughter as he knew he'd ever have, but he understood that he couldn't fully fathom what Danny was feeling, not on an emotional level at any rate. On an intellectual level, maybe. "Look at it this way; when it's Charlie's turn for all this, it'll be Rachel who's the wreck probably."

"Oh, she's already lost it with Grace more than once today," Danny laughed, pulling away. "She's been texting me pictures of her dress, the makeup Grace is gonna wear. She texted me a photo of her shoes, her handbag, little clutch thing. Every single one of those texts has sad face emojis in them, every single one, so be ready when she gets here with Grace; matter of fact, do you have tissues? Like a box of tissues?"

"Yep. I even got the ones with the lotion in them just in case Renee and Rachel can't control themselves. Or you," Steve patted Danny's back and stepped away with a grin. "It'll be okay, Danny. I promise."

And it was. Lou, Renee, and Will arrived a half hour later, followed by Adam and Tamiko, whom Steve had insisted Adam bring over for the night's festivities. Tani and Junior had begged off with the excuse that Junior liked to rest after his sessions; Steve called that for the bullshit it was, knowing it was likely more Tani than Junior who preferred for her partner to take it easy after a visit to this physical therapist, but had otherwise left it alone, only sending Tani thumbs up in response while reminding himself that he really needed to show Grace that he one, knew what an emoji was and two, knew how to use them now.

Jerry was next to arrive, a camera looped about his neck and a large photography bag on his shoulder. After the usual greetings and hellos, Jerry looked directly at Will. "I've got two different lenses including a long range one, a massive storage card, and graphics systems on my laptop that most people would kill for."

"Why do you have a long-range lens?" Will asked, eyeing the camera bag suspiciously. Jerry just looked at him.

"UFO's?"

"Lord help me," Lou muttered. Renee elbowed him gently in the stomach. "Jerry, I think it's very kind of you to take photos of the kids. I promise I taught Will to say thank you for gestures like yours." Somehow, even though she was looking at Jerry, her glare translated right over to her son; his mother had said jump, and he responded in kind. "Yea, this is really cool of you, Jerry. Thanks a lot."

"Oh, no sweat, really. I'm glad to do it. Besides, taking pictures of you and Grace beats sitting out on a mountain somewhere taking pictures of Pearl-Hickam."

Steve's ears twitched. "What?"

"What?" Jerry's face was the picture of innocence. "Hey, is that a sunset out there? I'm gonna go test the lighting." For a guy of Jerry's girth, he moved surprisingly quickly across the living room and was out the backdoor before Steve had a chance to say anything else. A knock at the door grabbed his attention instead, and he went to answer it.

Danny was going to go into cardiac arrest, Steve just knew it; not because his daughter was dressed in anything that he would consider inappropriate, but because Grace Williams looked so grown up and beautiful that his heart wouldn't know how to react. "Gracie, wow," he leaned forward giving her a hug as she stepped in to do the same. "You look great - gorgeous."

"Thanks, Uncle Steve," Grace was wearing a pale blue halter top with a subtle matching bow centered at the waist and a gently pleated skirt. She'd chosen to wear her hair long and loosely curled, her make up a warm choice of soft golds and quiet browns; a fun, casual look for a semi-formal affair. Steve stepped back to let her in the house so greet everyone else and turned, offering a smile at the woman behind her. "Rachel, glad you could make it."

"Thank you for having us, for letting Grace have this," she responded, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as she hung in the threshold of the doorway. Steve smiled, gesturing her forward. "Come in, come on. Jerry's out back testing his camera lenses and Will's already here."

Just as Steve had predicted, Danny had the sappiest, proudest, saddest look on his face as he watched his daughter talk with Will who, for all intents and purposes, had been reduced to mostly monosyllabic words. Steve slid a comforting hand on Danny's shoulder. "Come help me with the stuff on the grill while everyone else chats." Steve knew getting Danny distracted would be the only way to keep him from sinking into a full-on maudlin mood. They'd gotten the fish, steaks, hotdogs, and other items out of the fridge when Charlie ran into the kitchen. "Danno, did you see Gracie!?"

Ah, hell. There went Danny's face again, a sad smile sliding into place.

"Yea, buddy, I saw her. She's really pretty, isn't she?"

Charlie ran back out into the living room and before long, the group, including the kids along with Eddie, were in the backyard taking photos. Soon after, Rachel popped her head into the kitchen and dragged a reluctant Danny out to join them. "Of course you need to come out here, Grace wants a picture taken with you," Rachel rolled her eyes at Steve while she pushed her ex-husband out of the kitchen. Steve shook his head, but there was a happy smile on his face while he watched through the window as Danny walked towards his daughter, gave her a long, tight hug and then stood beside her, allowing Jerry to take some photos of just the two of them before Rachel joined them.

For the moment, everything was as it should be.

"Steve!" Now it was Khalid's turn to run into the kitchen.

"What's up, kid?"

"Gracie wants you to take a picture too!"

And so, Steve was also wrapped into the ritual of pre-homecoming dance photos, taking a picture or ten with Grace before she insisted on Danny joining them. As Jerry snapped shot after shot, Steve noticed Rachel hanging back, a thoughtfully odd look on her face. He didn't have too much time to think on it though; Grace called her mother over to join them, and then Will, the Grovers, even Charlie and Khalid were in on the last few pictures.

"Jerry, does that thing have a timer?" Danny called out. Jerry nodded.

"Well, grab the tripod, set the timer, and get in here."

The elated expression on Jerry's face at being included outshone the sun.

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Do you need help with anything else?"

Steve looked over his shoulder at Rachel as she deposited another load of plates, bowls, and silverware on the counter next to him. He shook his head. "Nah, Rachel, you should go back out there and relax. I've got it in here." He turned his attention back to the soapy water surrounding his hands as he scrubbed the dishes clean, but he noticed after a few seconds that Rachel hadn't moved. He glanced at her again, saw that her face had that weird look again, the one she'd had when she'd been watching him and Danny take photos with Grace. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Rachel scratched her throat gently. "I wanted to thank you, actually."

"Thank me?"

"I know you had some… some concerns about my and Danny giving it another go." She held a hand up almost immediately when Steve began to protest. "It's alright, Steven. Truly. I understand. For all of the things Danny and I have said and done to each other over the years, I did something that almost no-one would be able to forgive. I just… thank you for not hating me, I suppose?" She laughed. "Or if you do, for not showing it?"

"I don't hate you, Rachel," Steve pulled his hands out of the water and reached for a towel, drying them off. "You know, obviously… I was worried when Danny told me what was going on, and we talked about it a little, but in the end he's my partner and my best friend, and I just wanted him to be happy, and the kids to be okay."

"Well," Rachel folded her arms over her chest loosely. "I suppose I just wanted you to know that I did have the very best of intentions in trying to reconcile with him. For some reason, he and I, we just don't work as lovers. But thank you, sincerely, for being there for him, and for the children, and for me, too, I think. Especially last year, with Grace and her car accident. I don't think I ever thanked you for what you did-"

"You don't need to thank me, Rachel," Steve answered softly, leaning against the counter. "Believe me, I was happy to find that asshole and put him away."

"Yes, but the way you supported me, supported Danny - especially Danny - and Grace too, afterwards. You know Grace was thinking about asking you if she could have her graduation party here?"

"I think Danny mentioned that. Grace can have whatever she wants, Rachel," Steve smiled, big and bright. "Danny said he thought you'd put more photos of me in that video you made than of him."

"Well, you're quite a large part of their lives, of Danny's life, certainly. Grace and Charlie adore you." Rachel pursed her lips. "It's… almost like the four of you are your own little family."

The weird look was back. Steve was sure he was making a strange expression of his own, his face scrunched up in confusion. "Well, uh," he cleared his throat, "I don't know about family, Rachel, but Grace and Charlie… I hope you won't be upset if I tell you that I love them like they were my own kids."

"I know you do," Rachel's softness was reassuring to Steve and he relaxed a little more back into the counter. "I think sometimes you don't realize how much you mean to them, how much you mean to Danny. Anyway," she shrugged, "I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for my children, and for Danny, for just being there for them."

"You're welcome."

Rachel looked around the kitchen quietly. "You should come outside with us, sit and relax. It was a lovely dinner you prepared for all of us, you shouldn't be doing the dishes."

"I'm not going to complain if you want to take over," Steve laughed.

"I rather meant Daniel could take over, lazy creature that he is," Rachel grinned and turned, feeling Steve follow her back out onto the lanai.

By 10:00pm, Eddie was sacked out on the backyard lawn and Khalid and Charlie were using him as a pillow when the adults started calling it a night. Lou, Renee, and Jerry left with a few containers each of leftovers. Renee had assured Steve that she would be cooking for the masses when prom rolled around come the spring, and Steve would be lying through his teeth if he'd said he wasn't excited for that prospect. He'd had dinner at the Grovers a few times; Renee was a beast in the kitchen.

Adam and Tamiko stuck around for another half hour, Tamiko and Rachel having gotten off to a surprisingly chatty start as they traded stories about travel and culture. Somewhere in the middle of them talking about their shared experiences in Montreal, Adam and Danny had run for the hills and the rest of the beer in Steve's fridge, and Steve had ribbed them soundly for it for a solid ten minutes before Tamiko came in with Rachel in tow announcing she was ready to go if Adam was.

Now, Steve, Danny, and Rachel were sitting outside. Mr. Pickles had deigned to inch his way onto the lanai and had found a comfortable home on Danny's lap as the three of them talked and watched the boys sleep on Eddie at the same time.

"They have gotten close rather quickly, haven't they?" Rachel mused, leaning back in her seat.

"Yea, Khalid loves Charlie. They're partners in crime, in everything," Steve snickered.

"I suppose it was helpful for Khalid to have someone a little more on his wavelength after everything happened," Rachel tilted her head, considering the younger boy as she gazed at him. "What's happened to his mother? Has he seen her since that night?"

"Once," Steve muttered. "I managed to get him a few minutes with her before she was arraigned, but that was it. She's not on the island anymore. U.S. Marshall's came and picked her up last month and she's in a maximum-security prison on the mainland." Ruefully, he shook his head. "I'll never understand it."

"Nothing to understand about crazy, babe," Danny pointed out softly. "That kid is lucky to have you."

Rachel was quick to agree. "It's clear he adores you, Steven. You're very good with him. If I didn't know the history involved, I'd say you'd had him since he was an infant."

The tips of Steve's ears were red, but he murmured a thanks as he sipped the last of his beer. "I should get him into bed. I can't let him sleep outside on a dog all night."

"That's funny, I figured you'd be the one person on the planet not to see a thing wrong with that," Danny joked. Rachel giggled behind a hand as Steve got up, rolling his eyes. "Rachel, you mind helping me out since Danny is too busy being a slave to a feline, and picking up Khalid? I'll grab Charlie."

The two managed to get the boys off of Eddie, who woke up long enough to huff a displeased whine before getting up and trotting into the house behind them. Danny brought up the rear, holding Mr. Pickles to his chest, and closing and locking the door before setting the cat down as Steve and Rachel carried two sleeping kids up the stairs.

"They share a room?" Rachel whispered, following Steve into the room that Khalid shared with Charlie when he stayed over. It wasn't long before the boys were snug in their beds, still breathing deeply, not having woken up once.

"I figured with Charlie staying over as much as he was that he should have his own bed, not a futon or inflatable, or whatever," Steve murmured back softly, stepping out of the way so Rachel could kiss her son goodnight while he did the same with Khalid. When he stood up back up and turned to face her, Rachel was already looking at him.

"You are a little family." Her voice held a note of resignation in it, as if she was accepting something she'd been fighting for a time. Steve just looked at her. "I uh… you know, Danny kinda walloped me over the head about the bed, but I really thought it was a good idea-"

"It's perfect," Rachel nodded, looking up at him. "Really, it is. Steven?"

He raised a brow at her, waiting for her to continue. Rachel took a deep breath. "Talk to Danny, will you? Just… just talk to him." Without waiting for an answer, she backed out of the room and crept down the stairs as quietly as she could. By the time Steve made it back downstairs, perplexed and full of questions, Danny was seeing Rachel to the door and giving her a hug. The side of Steve's lip was caught between his teeth as Danny turned around after closing and locking the door. Once glance at Steve, and Danny knew something was up.

"What'd you do?"

"Huh?"

"You've got that look on your face, that look that says 'Do-I-Tell-Danny-What-I-Did?'"

"I didn't do anything."

"Yea, see, you've said that before when you've had that look on your face and then I find out later that you did do something, something crazy and very you, so what'd you do?"

"Nothing, I swear, I just," Steve cleared his throat quietly. "Rachel just kinda said something to me upstairs when we were putting the kids in bed is all. It was a little weird."

"What, uh…. What'd she say?" Was that a wary look on Danny's face? Steve blinked, sure he'd seen it, but the look was gone now, so he forged ahead.

"She just said that we were a little family and she said that I should talk to you. You know, now that I think about it, when I was doing the dishes earlier tonight, she said the same thing; that you, me, and the kids were all a happy little family and – what?" Steve stopped midsentence; Danny was giving him that look again. "What's that look?"

"I don't have looks, I have tones," Danny uttered, raspy and… nervous?

"And you definitely have a look now _and_ a tone," Steve peered at his partner, looking him up and down, taking in his stance, his darting eyes, looking everywhere but at him. "Danny, what did Rachel want me to talk to you about?"

"Uh," Danny flicked an anxious tongue over his lips, "okay, if we're gonna talk about this – if I'm going to talk about this, I need beer. Do we have any beer left?"

"Go outside and sit down, I'll grab it," Steve gestured for Danny to head on out while he popped into the kitchen to grab the last two beers in the fridge before following him. When he got outside, he saw Danny nervously rocking back and forth on his heels, hands shoved in the pockets of his slacks as he waited. Steve held a Longboard out for him to take, already uncapped, and Danny took a long drink from it before placing it on the table and settling heavily into one of the chairs, resigned.

"I told you Rachel and me broke up, and I told you about our conversation, but I didn't tell you all of it."

Steve wasn't surprised at the confession. He knew something had been plucking Danny's nerves for the last little while, but he hadn't pushed. He knew Danny would've told him when he was ready, eventually, whether it was a month or a year from now, but Rachel's advice to him had made Steve both curious and concerned. "Okay," Steve encouraged, "that's okay. Do you want to tell me now, or…?"

"I should, I shouldn't – " Danny laughed, scrubbing his face with his hands, "it's crazy, but maybe not so crazy, now that I've had almost two months to think about it, you know?"

Steve waited him out, watched Danny as Danny watched him sit down in the chair on the other side of the table.

"Long story short, Rachel thinks I'm more committed to our relationship, you and me, our friendship, than I am to her, and that I always have been, and she thinks that's because I'm in denial about being in love with you."

Steve was exceedingly glad he hadn't sipped his drink yet. He blinked, shifted in his seat, turned Danny's words over in his mind, and then answered.

"What?"

"Yea, that's what I said, but that's what she thinks," Danny laughed again, hanging his head over his clasped hands dangling between his knees. "She said that the way I am with you reminded her of how I was for a while with Grace Tillwell. She said that we're always together, we're comfortable, so comfortable that maybe I don't want to find someone to settle down with or maybe I didn't give my all to her because I was so busy focusing on you. She said we're practically in a relationship without the happy-fun-times that usually go along with it, pointed out that she knew we'd slept in the same bed a few times even though nothing happened." Danny pursed his lips, still not looking at Steve. "She said I was happy with you, that it was something to think about, us, together…like that."

Of all the conversations, all the topics and subjects that could've been talked about at that point in time – or really ever -, Steve wouldn't have been able to dream this up if he'd been coached to do so before he fell asleep. He took a deep breath and let it out, setting his beer on the table next to Danny's while trying to think of something to say.

"It's obviously something you've been thinking about, Danny," he finally said. "If it wasn't something that stuck with you, we wouldn't be talking about this right now. You'd have let it roll off your back and moved on. But like you said… two months, buddy, you've been carrying this around with you. There's got to be a reason."

Danny didn't say anything, just continued to look at his hands, the ocean, the ground, anywhere or anything but Steve, who softened his voice, made sure it was low and warm and inviting, safe, gentle. "Danny, look at me. Please?"

He watched Danny shore himself up, to just look at him, and Steve felt a pang of sadness that Danny even felt the need to prepare himself like that. When Steve finally had his partner's attention, he didn't let go of it. "You told me what she said. But how do you feel?"

"How… how do I feel?"

"Yea, Danny. How do you feel?" Steve watched him, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his legs and interlace his fingers, mirroring Danny's posture. "Because I get the feeling that maybe you think there's something to what she said."

"I don't know, Steve, I don't – we've always just been us. I've never put a label or a title on it because whether it's you're my best friend or my partner or a brother in arms or whatever, none of those labels really define us. I never spent a lot of time on it, and I didn't care to. My daughter loved you, Charlie did too, once he got to know you. You had my back when no one else did and as much as you kidnapped me and tricked me into your little task force of crazy ten years ago is as much as I latched on to you and followed." Danny took a breath, scratching the shaved, smooth side of his head. "There were always the jokes, you know? The 'how long have you been married' cracks, and people coming in on the ends of our conversations and giving us weird looks. Tani and Junior just call us 'Mom' and 'Dad' now, and we call them 'the kids'; it's always been like this. I never gave much thought to it because I knew that that was how we were supposed to be. It was right for us."

"But now you are?"

"I don't know," Danny shrugged. "I don't know, I really don't. It's kind of hard to deny anything Rachel said, but I think the thing that stuck most with me was when she compared you to Grace Tillwell. That… that was a tough time, not her comparing the two of you, but just… back then, when me and Rache were having our problems and Grace was just there. She was there, all the time, always available, always good for a drink or a laugh or just to talk. And I remember the second I realized I started falling for her and…. yea." Danny shrugged a shoulder. "I can do all those things with you. I'm probably most happy when I'm with the kids, but you rank right up there. I mean, come on, Steve, I didn't even blink when we slept in the same bed together. I'm with you on the weekends more often than not because Charlie and Khalid are like two peas in a pod, my kids adore you – Hell, when Rachel and I got in that fight before we ended things, she pointed out later that when she threatened me with lawyers to keep custody of Charlie, I threatened her with you!" Danny laughed. "I pulled you out of my pocket like my own personal Super SEAL, and she caught it, like she catches everything about me, and I… I just…I have no boundaries with you, _we_ have no boundaries, and I never used to think there was a reason for that, but now…"

"Now?" Steve pushed, swallowing.

Danny stayed quiet for almost a full minute before answering. "When Rachel told me about the job in L.A., she said she was going to take Charlie with her, and I told her that wasn't happening, that Charlie was staying here. I wasn't moving again, not because I couldn't and not just because I didn't want to, but I couldn't – when she brought up the possibility of leaving the island, my first thought, my _first_ thought was that she wanted to take my kid away from me; do you know what my very next thought was?"

Steve shook his head.

"The very next thing I thought about was that I'd have to leave the island – leave _you_ – and that was just not an option."

It had been a long time since Steve had felt the tell-tale lump that warned of tears forming in his throat. His voice uttering Danny's name was cracked and hoarse, but it was out, and so was he, out of his chair and standing in front of his partner. Someone wanted to _stay_. Someone wanted to stick around and stay for _him_ and choose _him_ and didn't want to leave _him_. Romantic, platonic, whatever – _someone wanted to stay_. Danny looked up at him, blinking, confused, wary of Steve's reaction, but he felt a tug on the sleeve of his shirt, and suddenly Danny was standing up and Steve was hugging him tightly.

Danny clung to him. It was almost suffocating, but he didn't care. The relief flowed through him like a waterfall, overwhelming and powerful.

"What do we do?" He asked into Steve's shoulder, muffled. "I mean – I don't know what we do, what I do…."

"What do you want to do?" Steve asked, pulling back a little bit but still keeping his arms around Danny. He needed to keep contact with him, needed to be able to feel him right now. "Danny, whatever you want to do I… I'll at least listen, okay? I'm never gonna shut you out, I'm never gonna completely shut you down, either."

"I know."

"You know? You do? Is that why it took you almost two months to tell me this?" Steve frowned at him. "Danny, I know you've been through an emotional roller coaster lately, okay? But do you have any idea what it means to me to hear you say that you didn't want to leave the island because of me? That you were willing to fight to keep Charlie here, so that you could stay here, with me? Danno, I can't remember the last time someone chose me, let alone chose me over trying to make things work with their ex, I mean… that's big to me. You know?"

"So… what are you saying then?" Danny pulled back slightly to tilt his face up, his face which felt slightly warm and Danny cursed his pale, Anglo Saxon skin because he knew even in the pale moonlight and the soft glow of the outside lamps that it would be easy to see the tinges of shy and embarrassed pink on his cheeks.

"I don't know what I'm saying. Do you know what you want?"

"I…are you offering something here, Steven?"

"Danny," Steve looked at him, holding his gaze as if his hands were physically secured on either side of Danny's face. "After what I just heard, there's not a lot I can think of that I wouldn't offer you or outright give you." His smile was small but encouraging. "Do you know what you want?"

"I think… not really, but maybe, kind of?" Danny sputtered out a laugh. "I don't know what to do here, Steve. Neither of us are… you know, neither of us have been with guys. I've never even looked at another guy or thought about another guy in anything remotely resembling a romantic or a… you know, a _physical_ interest." His voice and face softened. "I just know I want you in my life and I want you in the kids' lives. I want Charlie over here playing with Khalid and having dinner on the lanai and doing homework together. I want Grace to have her graduation party here and take her prom pictures on your beach. And I uh," he cleared his throat. "I want you here for all of it."

Steve swallowed, nodding. "That all sounds pretty good to me," he murmured softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY!! 
> 
> For those of you who might not remember, Jin Leung was the Triad boss we met in Season 8 during Danny’s famous ‘Kung Fu fight with an idiot’ during episode 8.23. That is probably one of my favorite McDanno episodes, if for no other reason than we actually get a line from Steve telling Danny “Take your shirt off” and Danny actually does it.
> 
> I miss Kawika. I miss him like crazy. I loved his dynamic he had with Steve, a begrudging respect that turned into a trusting friendship between the two men. I wish we could see more of Kawika and the Kapu, but I can’t really complain too much about Season 10 so far because we are getting some really stellar writing and McDanno episodes.
> 
> Finally, if you want an idea of what Grace is wearing for Homecoming, check out this link here: https://www.lulus.com/products/devoted-to-you-light-blue-dress/341432.html


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny stood up, crossing the small distance to stand in front of his partner. "You said we don't know what we're doing yet, and you're right; we don't. So why don't we start taking some time to figure that out?"
> 
> Steve gave him a considering look before taking a breath. "I'm never gonna turn down time with you," he answered quietly.
> 
> Danny gave him a wide smile in return.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Everything changed and yet stayed the same. Steve and Danny still got up every morning, got dressed the same, did their morning routine. Danny would still drive over to Steve's house to pick him up and Steve would wind up driving the car into work. They'd partner on cases during the day and on the weekends would get together with Khalid and Charlie, Grace too when she was available. In that sense, nothing had changed.

But more and more often now, Danny would catch Steve giving him a long look, his expression clouded in thought. From time to time, Danny would catch himself doing the same and looking away when Steve would glance up and catch him. There were more gentle touches, more quietly spoken words just the two of them, whether they were in the office or at a crime scene, and if Steve happened to wander past Danny's office to exit the doors on his partner's side of headquarters rather than through the ones on his own side of the bullpen, well, Danny wasn't going to say anything. And Steve certainly wasn't going to bring up the fact that Danny seemed to be finding more reasons to come to his office – "Steve, you got a pen? Ink's out in mine.", "Hey, babe; I'm grabbing lunch for everyone, what do you want?", or "My office is too hot." – because, truth be told, Steve liked that Danny was popping his head in more and more.

Out of the team, it was Lou who cracked first.

"Okay, what's going on with the two of you," Lou stood resolute in Steve's door way, hands in the pockets of his slacks and by all appearances seemed to be completely casual, but Steve had known Lou for a good six years now, and he recognized his friend's stance for what it was; it was his patented 'spill it' stance.

Steve scrunched his face. He and Danny hadn't talked about their little conversation after the ohana night with anyone else, so, playing stupid it was. "What's going on with what two?"

"Oh, come on, McGarrett, you work with detectives, okay? People who investigate crimes and watch people and read body language for a living. You and Danny; you two have been mooning over each other for the last three weeks more so than usual."

"Me and Danny have kept our pants on, so I'm pretty sure there's no mooning, Lou."

"That's real cute," Lou took a few strides into Steve's office, standing in front of his desk. "Look, I'm not trying to get into your business, man. But the kids and Adam are noticing things aren't quite the same with you and Danny, so if there's anything you guys need to tell us, sooner rather than later would be better."

"There's nothing we need to tell you, Lou, or anybody else. Danny and me, we're solid. We're good. He's just been helping me with Khalid more as he goes through school and has a bunch of questions that I can't answer, and his teachers send home all kinds of letters and documents and I don't know what the hell it all means, so that's really all it is." Steve's poker face was awful. He knew it. Lou knew it. The whole world knew it. But he applied it faithfully and with gusto, and even though he could tell Lou wasn't buying it, Steve was glad his colleague made the choice to back off, at least this time.

"You know when Samantha and Will started school, I about lost my damn mind every time they came home with a letter from their teachers. 'Classroom party' this or 'holiday party' that or 'PTA meeting next week'. I can't tell you how happy I was once they both got into middle school. That kind of paperwork disappeared for the most part."

"Eh, it's not so bad," Steve grinned up at him like a loon, because Steve really did enjoy getting all those notes from Khalid's teacher (and he really was getting them, he didn't make that part up) and dragging Danny into his office to ask about them.

"How's the kid doing, anyway?"

"He's great, he's doing really great," Steve stood up. "Loves his teacher, he's made a bunch of friends, he got invited to a sleep over his first week of school. Yea, he's really making it in there. I don't know what I was so worried about."

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, my friend; all parents are terrified to send their kids off to school. They're away from us, we gotta trust someone else to take care of them and love them and nurture them, and that's tough for any parent to have that faith in anyone who isn't them."

Steve laughed, ducking his head and planting his hands on his hips. "Well, I'm not his dad or anything, but-"

"The hell you're not," Lou cut him off. "Except for the few days Danny took care of him at the hotel, that kid has been with you non-stop. You've taken care of him, fed him, bathed him, taken him shopping for clothes and toys and back to school supplies, he has his own room now that he shares with Charlie when Danny spends the night –" Lou gave Steve a look that was scarily reminiscent of one who might know more than he was letting on currently – "you take him to doctors appointments and you enrolled him at school. You try to be there for dinner every night when you can, and you see him off on the bus every morning now. Steve, don't kid yourself, man. That's a parent. That's a real dad right there. You got grown ass men in this world who make kids and abandon them and their mothers, or parents who make stupid decisions and wind up having their kids taken from them, but all you've done with Khalid since he's come into your life is be there for him in every way a father can be there for his kids. That ain't nothing, Steve, and I promise you, to Khalid? It's everything."

"Hey."

Danny poked his head into the office, looking between Lou and Steve. "Everything okay?"

"Yea, everything's fine, we're just talking about Khalid, that's all." Steve cleared his throat, averting his eyes from Danny and knowing that his partner would clearly pick up on the fact that Khalid had not been the only thing Steve and Lou had been discussing. "What's up?"

"We got a case. Double homicide from what Duke could tell us."

Five minutes and a flurry of activity had everyone, save Junior, out the door and in their cars, speeding their way to the scene. Steve artfully dodged and weaved through traffic, and possibly enjoyed Danny's shouts of 'slow down!' and 'we can't solve these murders if we wind up hood first in the back of another car!' far more than he should have, but hey; that was par for the course when he drove the Camaro.

"So, in the interest of me actually getting this answer before we either get to the crime scene or cause Honolulu's next mass car pile up, what were you and Lou talking about before I walked in?"

"I told you, Danny: Khalid."

"No, no, see I know you, and I know your faces, and I know your eyes-"

"That actually sounds kind of creepy when you say that, that you know my eyes."

"Well, I do, and I know that when you answered me and you looked away from me that you were not telling me the whole truth."

"I wasn't aware I was under oath."

"You're funny," Danny gave a side long glance at his partner. "What were you talking about before you were talking about Khalid?"

Steve's head tilted this way and that as he drove. "Lou said that everybody thinks there's something going on with us."

"Us?"

"Yea, us, you and me," Steve made a left-hand turn, hardly slowing down as he did. Danny just went with it. "He said we've been mooning over each other and Adam, Tani, and Junior are starting to wonder what's up."

Danny scoffed. "We have not been mooning over each other, this isn't a _Grease_ musical."

"Exac- wait, what are you talking about?"

"Mooning Over You', it's a song in _Grease_."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"Danny, no it's not, you don't understand how many times I've had to watch that movie, okay? It was Mary's favorite musical growing up, and I know every song from it. There's no song called 'Mooning Over You' in _Grease_."

"That is because you're talking about the movie and not the stage musical," Danny smirked, as if he were an infinitely better human being for knowing the difference.

Steve cut a sharp right turn in retaliation, and it wasn't much longer until they pulled up to a non-descript house in the middle of a sleepy neighborhood. Steve and Danny got out, hearing Tani, Lou, and Adam pulling up in the Suburban behind them. As a team, they entered the home.

The crime scene was bloody and messy, with emotion written in every drop and smear of blood, and if Five-0 needed any more reason to doubt the killings were personal, the rather large and numerous stab wounds in the man and woman's abdomen most certainly erased it. Tani surveyed the scene with a wrinkled brow and mouth. "I think we can tack this one on to the top ten worst murder scenes in history," she turned around, taking in the blood spatter on the walls, the streaks on the floor, indicating that one of the victims, the man, must have crawled towards the woman. "This is one of the most horrible things I think I've ever seen."

"Crime of passion?" Danny asked, tugging a pair of gloves on and walking around, careful to avoid any identified evidence, blood, or a busy crime scene tech.

"Maybe," Adam shook his head. "Definitely personal, whatever the motivation."

After cautiously searching the bodies and surrounding rooms and coming up with ID's, they had their first clue.

"Well. The guy doesn't live here," Lou held up one of the wallets. "A Mr. Michael Chu, his home address is listed clear across the island, but the woman lives here."

"No signs of forced entry either, so whoever this was either had a key, or was let in." Adam planted his hands on his hips just as Duke entered the room. "We just got a call from a concerned citizen. She said she saw a man about a mile from here running towards Aiea High School. She said he looked like he was covered in blood. We've dispatched a couple of units to go check it out."

"Duke, tell them to keep their distance," Steve ordered, hustling out of the house, the rest of the team hot on his heels.

In the end, HPD keeping their distance didn't help, neither did the negotiator, nor Adam getting on the bullhorn to try to talk the guy down. It happened within the blink of an eye; one second, their suspect was hunched over and small looking, sobbing loudly and heart wrenchingly, and the next, he was lifting a gun to his head. Five-0 wasn't sure if the police fired first or if their suspect did, but when it was all over, the man was lying on the ground dead, his eyes frozen in grief.

Steve and Danny inched forward, weapons trained on the man until they reached his side. Steve holstered his weapon within a second of taking in the limp form lying in front of him, a bullet in his head and more embedded center mass.

"He's gone."

The boys stepped back and allowed Duke to take over the scene as they headed back over to the rest of their team; well, Tani and Lou, at least. The only thing left of Adam was the bullhorn he'd been using to try to get the now deceased man to give up. "He's walking it off," Tani said, answering the unasked question she could see written all over Steve's face.

"It's not his fault," Danny shook his head. "The guy was crazy -"

"Yea," Tani nodded. "But."

"Yea," Danny sighed, looking around. "HPD's gonna clean up here. Let's head out."

To say the mood was somber when everyone made it back to headquarters was an understatement. Adam shut himself away in his office as soon as they entered; no one stopped him. When Junior turned a questioning gaze on Tani, she responded, "He was trying to talk the guy down, trying to get him to drop the gun, give himself up when he pulled the trigger."

If anyone could understand what Adam was feeling right now, it was Junior. "Everything happened so fast, that's why you guys didn't get a chance to learn that the wife had a concealed carry permit," he explained, swiping the smart table so that the woman and the other male victim, Michael Chu, showed up on the screen. "Kelsie Emerson had a permit for a handgun, the same caliber and model that her husband, John Emerson used to kill himself."

"So, the husband comes home, finds his wife and Michael Chu in the house, they start fighting. For whatever reason, Chu doesn't leave, he sticks around, and John Emerson loses his mind, grabs a knife and attacks them?" Danny stuck his hands in his pockets, staring up at the screen filled with information on three dead victims who had all been alive a few hours ago. That was probably one of the hardest things about homicide cases; knowing that the victims had gotten out of bed expecting a normal day only to have the rest of their lives snuffed out by someone else.

"Sounds plausible," Tani was nodding her head slowly, hip checking the table.

"Once HPD has notified their families, we can interview them and any friends of the victims and piece together what happened that way." Lou glanced over his shoulder at Adam. "For now though, I say we call it a day and head home."

The group broke up, Steve, Danny, and Lou heading to their respective offices, while Tani and Junior hung around the table a little longer, silently watching Adam angrily type up his report. With a murmured, "I should talk to him," Junior pushed away from the table and headed for Adam's office, his gate still slightly incumbered due to the gunshot wound from almost a month previous. He pushed the office door open slightly after knocking gently on the door.

"Hey."

Adam offered a furtive glance up at Junior before turning his attention back to his computer.

"Look, I know what happened out there today. I know you're blaming yourself-"

"And you're in here to tell me that I shouldn't be doing that?"

Junior shook his head. "I'm here to tell you that I know what you're going through and if you want to come by my place and talk, you can."

"I don't…" Adam pushed back from his desk, letting his head land on the back of his seat. "I've just been where that guy was at today, you know? Thinking you'd lost everything, wondering how you can get it back, not seeing a path forward…I just wish I could've gotten him to listen to me."

"I get it, man," Junior inched into the office, letting the door close behind him, and took a seat on the other side of Adam's desk. "Last year, with Tory, when I was trying to talk him down after he'd robbed that bank… I could tell just by looking at him that he'd thought he'd lost everything, that Layla wouldn't've forgiven him. I think about that every day, at least once, you know?" Junior slouched a bit, allowing his wounded leg to extend and ease the pressure off. "I play it out and I try to think of what I could have done different, said different. Maybe if I hadn't gone to him earlier, maybe if I'd just arrested him then and there. I had the probable cause, he was a person of interest, I could've brought him in, but I didn't."

"Why?"

"Because of Layla," Junior sighed. "Because I wanted her son to have the chance to grow up with his father."

"He raised his gun, Junior. You didn't have a choice. You were defending yourself," Adam lulled his head to the side, folding his hands in his lap.

"So did John Emerson," Junior gently countered. "This guy had already killed two people and was probably so horrified at what he'd done to his wife that short of tranquilizing him, he'd have killed himself," Junior shifted a bit in his seat. "Nothing you were gonna say was going to get through to him, Adam. He was already gone. He was going to end it one way or another."

The room was quiet, oppressively so. Neither of them heard Steve, Danny, or Lou leave as they sat silently, either staring at each other or looking at the floor, both contemplating their respective demons. When Tani creaked the door open, Adam startled a bit, her voice breaking the tenuous peace in the office.

"Everyone's gone." She hung out in the threshold awkwardly. "Were you guys going to hang around or head out?"

"It's probably time to go," Adam slowly stood up, logging off and shutting down his laptop.

"You should go spend some time with Tamiko," Tani slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "Try to forget about today for a little bit."

"Or you can come hang out with me if you want to talk more," Junior offered. "We can head to my place. You can invite Tamiko if you want?"

"Hey, yea, we can order in." Tani was on board, and it made Junior cast a thankful smile her way.

"Sounds like a double date night," Adam couldn't help the grin, couldn't help the kick he got out of seeing Junior's face flush or Tani suddenly turn her attention to the hallway outside.

"We'll see you there," Junior pushed off the chair, passing Tani and leaving her to glare at Adam.

"Just for that? The General Tso's chicken that I usually let you share with me? You're gonna have to buy your own."

Adam laughed. "Sounds fair to me."

**Hawaii Five-0**

If there was one thing Lou was grateful for, it was that his kids were now fully grown and no longer waiting to bumrush him at the door a few days before Halloween wearing their costumes while asking if they could get a head start on eating some of the candy. It was early evening, and he could smell whatever Renee was cooking from the front door – roasted chicken, he was pretty sure, and he would never not be excited for that particular dish of hers. She did something with the rosemary herb that just seeped throughout the entire bird, making him crave it more than most anything else she made.

After watching a guy put a bullet in his head earlier in the day, he couldn't think of a better meal to come home to, or a better woman for that matter. Lou watched as Renee put something in a pot on the stove and adjusted the heat a bit, saw her add salt to the saucepan – potatoes then, he figured. When she turned around, Renee took one look at him, her face immediately turning to one of empathy. "What happened?"

"Couldn't talk a guy down today," he sighed, taking a seat at the food prep counter.

"A jumper?"

"No," Lou rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hand, "he had a gun. We're pretty sure he killed his wife and some guy he found in his house with her. Crime of passion. The man was probably so shocked at what he'd done that he couldn't process it."

Renee just shook her head. "Anyone else hurt?"

"No. Adam, but that's more in the head than anything else."

"What do you mean?"

"Adam was trying to get through to the guy, trying to get him to see some sense, realize that killing himself wasn't the way out, but he just… he wasn't having it, and Adam's blaming himself."

"Does he need anything?" Renee was one of those cops' wives who offered any comfort or help she could give to someone on the force who'd had a bad day. When they were living in Chicago, Lou had lost count of the number of pies or full dinners she'd prepared for his buddies involved in police shootings or for their families if they'd been injured in the line. Or if one of them had had a day like today, when they just couldn't get through to a suicidal person and took on a world's worth of guilt and blame as a result.

"I saw Junior talking with him when we left, so I think he's okay." Lou smiled at her. "Besides, Adam's my boy and all, but if you think I'm letting any part of this dinner that you're making leave this house, you're out of your mind, lady."

Renee shook her head, laughing at him. "You know there's more than enough for me to take him a plate or two; the way you and Will eat, I sometimes feel like I'm cooking for the army, and, not to mention," Renee peeked over her shoulder at the pan, seeing that it was at a boil, "Miss. Grace is staying for dinner."

"She's here?"

"She and Will finished their homework and worked on some more college applications and then decided to take a walk around the neighborhood."

"Danny know she's over here?"

"I think she texted him, but I'm not sure. She mentioned she was with Rachel this week."

"So, what you're saying is, we've got some time before they get back?" Lou grinned and stood up, sliding his way over to his wife and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Not that much time," she laughed as Lou snuggled into her neck, breathing deeply.

"Always time for kitchen love."

"Most people call that dinner, dear." Renee felt him smiling into her neck before he shifted his chin just a bit to talk over her shoulder.

"I call it dessert."

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Thank God," Danny muttered as Steve parked the car in his driveway. They both got out, heading up the sidewalk as the front door opened and a tiny, hyper Captain America raced out, tackling Steve around the waist as a young woman stood in the doorway, grinning. "He's really, really excited for trick-or-treating tomorrow."

"He is, huh? Did Liz let you put on your costume?" Steve grinned up at the baby sister and walked forward. It was a bit difficult since Khalid refused to release Steve and instead placed his tiny feet on Steve's gigantic ones, but they made it to the door eventually. He looked up at the babysitter. "Thanks, I know we're a little later than I said we'd be. We caught a case."

"It's no problem," Liz smiled up at him. "I gave him dinner, but he insisted on wearing his Halloween costume when he got home from school. I think they may have had a party because he's been bouncing off the walls since I got him off the bus."

"Yea, they had a class party today. Hey, Khalid," Steve pried the kid's head back to look down at him. "What'd you eat at the party, huh?"

"Cupcakes and candy corn-"

"What?" Danny blinked. "Candy corn? What kind of school tortures kids with ear wax?"

"-and chocolate and…. and…Skittles and-"

Steve's face looked more and more stricken with each sugary name that fell out of Khalid's rapidly moving mouth. Danny was no help however, since he was busy trying to keep a straight face when clearly all he wanted to do was laugh at the entire situation.

Within ten minutes, Liz the babysitter was gone and Steve bartered with Khalid to go upstairs and take a bath, following Danny's advice that sooner rather than later, the kid was going to crash and so getting him scrubbed up and in his pajamas was the best way to go. By 8:00pm, Khalid was in bed and, per Danny's experience with this kind of thing, snoozing away, breathing deep and even as Steve checked on him before going downstairs and into the kitchen.

It seemed that while Steve had been busy getting Khalid ready for bed and taking a shower himself, Danny had been busy making dinner. His partner had found some tuna steaks in the fridge and had decided to sauté them rather than grill them. In another pan right next to it was a mix of vegetables; squash, green beans, and…

"Is that bacon?" Steve inched closer, taking a sniff. "You put bacon in the vegetables?"

"Yea, why not? Add's flavor," Danny shrugged. "Besides, squash and bacon is an old staple on the east coast, especially during the summer."

Danny clearly had everything in hand in the kitchen, so Steve grabbed the plates and silverware and headed out onto the lanai to set the table and generally clean up to make the area presentable. It wasn't but a few more minutes before he and Danny were sitting down, beers in hand, and cutting into their tuna.

"Wow," Steve nearly went slack jawed. "This is good." Danny had piled the tuna steak high with the vegetables he'd been pan frying, and Steve had decided to take a bite of everything mixed together rather than separate the veggies from the tuna. "Danny, seriously, this is amazing."

"Quick, relatively easy, the longest thing was the bacon, honestly," Danny shrugged. "I had to make that separately, so I just threw it in the microwave for a few minutes before adding it to the veggies."

Steve took a sip of his beer, continuing to eat with Danny doing the same, and within 15 minutes, the plates were cleaned of everything but the left-over juices from the steak. "That was amazing, man," Steve sat back, closing his eyes. "Thanks."

Danny shrugged. "Like I said, easy." He wiped his mouth with his napkin, tossing it on the table. "You done?"

"Yea, but leave it. I'll get it, you made dinner."

Danny paused, chuckled, then resettled himself in his seat. "So, have you talked to Adam since we left work?"

"Yea, he's over at Junior's place with Tani and Tamiko."

"Oh, that sounds like a good idea; the kids being watched by the older brother, nothing can go wrong there."

Steve snickered into his beer bottle. "Adam and Junior are talking and they're all eating Chinese food, Danny, I don't think they're plotting a crime spree the night before Halloween."

"Speaking of which, Khalid's Halloween costume is Captain America?"

Steve nodded.

"Well, that's gonna be interesting," Danny stretched his legs out and folded his hands over his full, happy stomach. "Charlie's going as Superman – two American heroes."

"Oh yea?"

"Rachel bought it for him. Apparently Khalid told Charlie last weekend that he was going as Captain America and Charlie wanted to do Captain America originally, but since Khalid got it first, he changed his mind and went with Superman; said that now he and Khalid could both go as you for Halloween." Danny drained the last of his beer as Steve's smile widened to the point Danny was sure his face would cramp.

"He really said that?"

"Yes, babe, he really said that," Danny stood up and picked up his plate, but Steve leapt to his feet, waving a hand at him. "You made dinner. I'll do the dishes." Steve took Danny's plate from him and headed into the house. Danny followed behind at a slower pace, looking around as saw Mr. Pickles sprawled out on the desk in the study. "Where's Eddie?"

"He bunks with Khalid until I go to bed," Steve called. "Which was a great thing tonight because as soon as that dog climbs in with Khalid, it's like a little heated blanket and he goes right out."

"Uh huh," Danny ambled into the kitchen, hands in his pockets. He simply watched Steve work, scrub a plate, then rinse. Scrub a pan, then rinse. Over and over until the dishes were done and the counters were wiped clean and the stove was gleaming. "So," Steve tossed the sponge back into the sink and turned to lean against it, looking at Danny who was standing across from him behind the food prep counter. "What time did you want to take the kids trick-or-treating tomorrow?"

"I figure we get an easy dinner in them, like pizza, and then head out around 5:30pm or so?" Steve nodded.

"Your neighborhood or mine?"

"Or Rachel's?" Danny countered. "Her neighborhood? That's the kind of niche you find in suburbia that hands out the regular sized candy bars, and not just the little fun size ones."

"Oh, kinda like me and you – I'm the full-sized bar and you're the fun sized candy." Steve grinned, watching Danny's face as it became a mask of indignation.

"You know what? Good things come in small packages, Steven, you just remember that."

Steve smothered a laugh as Danny held up a threatening finger, begging apology. "Will Rachel want to come with us, you think?"

"Nah, she got Charlie last year, and she took him to a neighborhood party last weekend for Halloween. She likes handing out the candy to the kids, but she'll probably want a couple of pictures before we go."

"Have you guys told the kids about her moving to L.A. yet?"

"That's the plan this weekend, actually. Sunday," Danny scratched the back of his neck. "We're gonna do a Sunday brunch deal at Rachel's place and tell them." It was more than obvious that Danny was nervous about that prospect. "I don't think Grace will have too much of an issue since she's heading off to college next year anyway, but Charlie… he's been with his mother his whole life. That one might be difficult."

For Danny's stake, Steve swallowed down any remark he had about Rachel choosing a career over staying in Hawaii full time to raise her son. He'd never question her love for her children, but there were times he seriously questioned her judgment. "You think he'll be okay?" he asked softly.

"I think he will, eventually. You know, she'll be home for ten days a month, working out of the office here, and he'll have his own room wherever she decides to live there. He can visit her on long weekends and see her for a few weeks or a month during the summer. It'll be tough in the beginning, I think, but with Charlie, as long as he knows that he's going to get to see her regularly still, I think he'll be okay, it just won't be as regular as he's used to."

Danny rapped his knuckles on the counter and stepped back. "I'm gonna head out. I'm already exhausted thinking about tomorrow night and all that candy they're going to get."

Steve followed Danny through to the front door and pulled it open for him. Danny turned, a little smile on his face. "What are you doing?"

"I'm – what do you mean 'what am I doing'? I'm opening the door so you can leave, like a good host."

"That's very nice of you, Steve, but normally when I say I'm leaving, I just leave. You don't follow me."

That was a good point. Steve had to give him that. "I… you know, I figured I just might follow you and see you off this one time."

"Now you've got Aneurysm Face."

"I do not have Aneurysm Face, Danny," Steve rolled his eyes.

"Yea, you do. You've got that look on your face that says that you're caught, that you know I'm right, but you don't want to admit it. Why's that?"

"I don't – Danny, I just followed you over here to say goodbye, that's all."

Danny waited. "Well?" He asked, after a few seconds.

"Well, what?"

"Are you gonna say goodbye?" Danny slipped his hands into his pockets again. He was enjoying this. Steve was flustered, and there wasn't any secret as to why. They'd been doing this for weeks now, and this example of not knowing how to act around one another ever since Danny poured his heart out was just another one on a long list of lengthy stares and fleeting touches and excuses to be around each other.

Steve furrowed his brow, an adorably confused expression looking back at Danny. "…what was I supposed to say again?"

Danny grinned. "Goodbye, Steven." He took a step back, crossing the threshold as Steve watched him. "Pick you up tomorrow?"

"Yea," Steve cleared his throat, "yea, tomorrow morning."

"Okay," Danny took another step back, now standing fully outside on the lanai, waiting. "You gonna say it now?"

"Bye, Danny," Steve grinned at him, and the two of them just stood there for a long few moments before Danny offered a soft smile and took another step back. "Night, babe." Another few steps backwards with him still looking at Steve, and then Danny turned and headed for his car, hopping in and giving a final wave before pulling away. Steve stood in the doorway watching his partner retreat down the driveway until he couldn't see the headlights anymore, a ridiculously warm and happy feeling spreading through his chest.

**Hawaii Five-0**

"I never want to do this again as long as I live."

Danny, having heard this for the umpteenth time that evening, just repeated what he'd been saying for the last 20 minutes. "It's not that bad, Steve."

"Danny, there's tons of little masked midgets running all over the place and coming up behind me! Okay, on the whole, on the list of things that I'd advise against? That'd be at the top."

"I can't believe you're strapped right now." Danny rolled his eyes while keeping his attention on Charlie and Khalid, Superman and Captain America. Each of them had a bag in their little hand, Rachel having had insisted on the specifically made Halloween gift bags with Halloween decorations one could by at the local Wal-mart rather than Danny's preferred method of giving each kid a plain plastic grocery bags and telling them to go to town. Steve had bought Khalid a jack-o-lantern bucket, but upon seeing Charlie's bag, Khalid had wanted to match his best friend and Rachel, being a mother, had foreseen that eventuality. She'd sent the kids on their way with a wink and a nod to Steve.

"Of course I'm carrying, Danny," Steve lowered his voice. "You know the kinds of crazy pranks people play on Halloween night. Not to mention the crime rate spikes, especially the murder rate."

"It's 6:00 in the evening and the sun is still bright and shiny, and, oh, we're in Rachel's neighborhood, which hasn't had a peep of criminal activity, you understand? Not a peep."

"You ran a crime stat report with HPD?"

"Yes, I ran a crime stat report with HPD. I ran it before she moved in!" Danny stole a glance at his partner. "You really think I was going to let her move somewhere when my kids were going to be with her a majority of the time and not verify that it was safe?"

Steve shrugged. "Alright, fine. But still."

"Yea, yea, yea," Danny waved his hand. "Do your thing, SuperSEAL."

It was a good thing Rachel's neighborhood had a lot of kids in it. Steve watched as little ghosts and goblins, miniature Lilos and Spidermans, and adorable cheerleaders, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and various anime characters raced along the street, chattering and screaming and generally having a good time. He smiled a little, a memory from his childhood floating to the surface, of his mother taking him trick or treating and waiting at the end of the driveways with Mary tucked safely into her stroller while he went up to every house and came away with more candy than God ever thought to create.

"You okay?"

"Yea," Steve nodded. "Just remember when I was little and trick-or-treating."

Danny grinned up at him as Khalid and Charlie, along with three other kids, made the trek up a driveway for another dose of sugar. "You went one year as an Army Ranger, didn't you."

Steve just shrugged. "I didn't know about the SEAL's when I was younger, otherwise I would've gone as one of them. I had to make do with what I had, you know?"

They continued to make small talk, letting the kids run ahead of them just a little bit until Danny looked down at his watch. "Oh boy, okay."

"What?"

"It's 7:30pm."

Steve shrugged. "Okay?"

"Okay, so it's 7:30pm and we gotta start getting the boys focused on heading home."

"So, we just tell them it's time to go home."

Danny outright laughed in his face. "G'head. Try it. I can't wait to see this."

Steve huffed a bit but called up ahead to the kids. "It's time to head back home, guys."

Charlie whipped around, as if he knew any second now that the call to end trick-or-treating was coming, and he'd prepared for just such an event. "But Uncle Steve, there's only four more houses on this side!"

"Yea, we gotta go all the way to the end! To finish the street!" Khalid added.

In Steve's world, that was a perfectly plausible explanation; after all, it was only four houses, and it would make sense to finish all of the houses on that side of the block. He looked over his shoulder at Danny, whose hands were in his pockets. He was rocking back and forth on his heels, bottom lip rolling up and down and lifted an eyebrow.

"I mean, it's four houses, Danny."

"Okay."

Steve cast a wary eye on his partner before looking back at the kids. "Alright, these four houses, and then we gotta go." The boys raced ahead, whooping happily. Danny came to stand beside him and Steve looked over at him, perfectly at ease. "See, Danno? Four houses and we're done."

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Where in bloody Hell have you all been?" Rachel stood away from the door, letting two mopey boys, one frustrated SEAL, and one smug detective into her foyer. "It's past 8:30pm, you should've been back over a half hour ago!"

"Yea, well," Danny threw his thumb over his shoulder, indicating Steve, "this one got manipulated into letting the boys do the last few houses on the side of the street we were on, and then since we had to go back up the street anyways, they managed to convince him to let us stop at some more houses along the way, and, well, there you go."

Rachel blinked. "And you didn't stop him?"

"Uh, I told him it wasn't going to work out the way he was thinking-"

"You did not! You said 'okay!' when they mentioned the houses!" Steve crossed his arms, literally pouting in the middle of the foyer while a five-year-old and seven-year-old looked on. But not for long, because Rachel quickly (and thankfully) took over.

"Charlie, upstairs; leave your candy down here. Get in the bath - quickly now, go on." She shooed her son up the stairs and turned her gaze on Steve, who took a step back and suddenly felt as if he were a child about to be put to bed himself.

"Steven, there's a spare bathroom in Grace's bedroom. If you like, you can bathe Khalid in there and borrow a pair of Charlie's pajamas to take him home in."

"Uh-"

"It'll be much easier to get him down for the night if he's scrubbed clean and warm," Rachel was already leading Khalid gently up the stairs, a hand on his back. "Grace is at a party and won't be home till 10:00pm, it'll just be 15 minutes or so!" And she was gone, leaving Steve and Danny standing in the foyer.

"Well, okay." Steve cleared his throat, looking at Danny. "Is that, uh… is that how it normally went with you two?"

"Yea, but usually with a lot more yelling." Danny headed towards the kitchen.

"Why did she bother to ask me if I wanted to give Khalid a bath if she's already gonna do it?" He shuffled his way after Danny, looking around the kitchen. It was, well, it was huge – easily four times the size of his kitchen at home. "What does Rachel do again?"

"Forensic accounting,"

"Oh."

"Yea," Danny helped himself to two glasses from the cupboard. "She's uh, she's pretty smart." He busied himself with raiding Rachel's fridge and settled for the filtered spring water he found in a pitcher.

"So, you guys are talking to Charlie and Grace Sunday?"

"Yea," Danny sighed, sliding a full glass over to Steve and pouring himself one. "She wanted to make sure everything was together on her end before she told them, so." He shrugged, watching Steve take a long drink of his water before getting up and wandering out into the living room. When he came back, he had both Charlie's and Khalid's candy bags with him. Danny snickered.

"Raiding the candy bags already?"

"I'm checking to make sure a crazy person didn't inject them with poison or stick a razor in there," Steve set Charlie's bag in front of Danny and they both began to pick through each haul, inspecting every piece of candy until there were two large piles of every type of candy imaginable. Steve saw a Mounds Bar and snatched it up, popping it in his mouth.

"Thief."

"It's dark chocolate and coconut," Steve defended. "He's probably not gonna like it, and I love these things. They're like, the healthiest candy you can have." He swallowed down the candy, hearing footsteps from the stairs. Rachel walked in a few moments later with a freshly washed and pajama clad Khalid on her hip, a little plastic bag dangling from her wrist carrying Khalid's costume.

"There we are," Rachel beamed at them both. "All clean and ready to go, though I think someone's been in your hard-earned candy," she whispered to Khalid. The kid smiled bashfully and tucked his face into Rachel's shoulder. "Danny, Charlie's just getting ready for bed, if you'd like to say goodnight?"

"Uh, yea, sure," Danny cleared his throat and pushed off of his seat. "Be right back."

As Danny head out of the kitchen and upstairs, Steve lifted a hand and gestured towards Rachel. "Want me to take him?"

"Oh, no, it's fine. I rather miss holding Charlie like this," Rachel grinned, swaying from side to side gently. Steve could see Khalid was beginning to fade; he was now using Rachel's shoulder as a pillow while he blinked his eyes slowly, trying to stay aware and focused but rapidly losing the battle.

"So, I suppose Danny's told you we'll be talking to Grace and Charlie this weekend?"

"Yea, he uh, he mentioned that, yep," Steve cleared his throat.

"I figure Charlie might take the news a bit easier if he has some fun with a friend beforehand, and not to mention, he asked me if Khalid could spend the night tomorrow night." Rachel quirked a brow at him. "If you're alright with it, he can stay the night Friday and you can pick him up Saturday afternoon?"

Steve reached out a hand and tugged on Khalid's tiny bare foot. "How's that sound, buddy? You want to spend the night over here tomorrow with Charlie?"

Khalid blinked sleepy brown eyes at Steve and nodded his head once before his lids closed again. Steve laughed quietly. "Alright then."

"He was already exhausted when he got here, he was just too hyper to realize it," Rachel murmured. "And it's likely far past his bedtime."

"Yea, he's usually in bed by 8:00pm or so." Steve watched Khalid blink slowly at him, fighting sleep as he normally did. "He seems comfortable with you."

"A mother's touch," Rachel shrugged, murmuring quietly. "I imagine he misses her very much."

"Yea," Steve's throat was tight as he swallowed, pushing away the guilt that often flared up whenever he thought of Khalid's parents. Right or wrong, he couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible that Khalid had lost both his father and mother.

Danny padded back into the kitchen, clapping his hands together. "Okay, so, Charlie is in bed, he is tucked in. He wanted to sleep with his candy, I said no – what's the matter, why the long faces?" His gaze bounced between Rachel and Steve. "Everyone was happy when I went upstairs; what happened?"

"Nothing, Danny, just… I'll tell you later," Steve shrugged, standing up and starting to pack all of Khalid's candy back into his bag.

"Why don't you leave it over here, Steven? He can't eat it when he gets home and he has school tomorrow anyway, and afterwards, he'll be spending the night here. He and Charlie can go through their loot tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?" Danny stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, Steve is going to let Khalid stay here and have a sleep over with Charlie," Rachel smiled at him. "Charlie asked, and I think it's a fantastic idea to have him in a good mood for our conversation with him on Sunday, and," she inched over towards Steve so he could take the now lightly dozing child from her arms, "it gives you and Steve a free night."

"A free night, well," Danny half grinned, half glared at his ex-wife who simply looked back at him with the innocent, brown, doe-eyed gaze she'd passed on to her daughter. "That's uh, that's very nice of you, Rache."

"I know." She smiled brightly at him. "So, you two should plan a fun evening."

"Yea, we'll uh, we'll do that," Steve wanted nothing more than to get out of the house at that moment in time. It had taken him longer than Danny, but he knew what Rachel was up to. "Thanks, I'll drop Khalid over here around 5:00pm tomorrow, okay?" He scooted past the other two and headed for the door, and if it were a Warner Bros. cartoon, a streak of fire would've been left in his wake. Danny just looked at Rachel, rocking back and forth on his heels. 

"Rachel."

"Oh, come off it, Danny, the two of you could use a proper night off without the children. What you do with it is your choice."

And that was exactly what Danny repeated to Steve on the way home when Steve asked him what Rachel's intentions were.

"She's devious," Steve muttered.

"I've known this for more than a decade, babe. Nice of you to catch up."

"Okay," Steve cleared his throat. They were talking about this, dammit. Now. "Okay, so you and I have had some moments, you know, here and there since we had that talk about what Rachel said to you."

"Yes, we have."

"And those moments have been nice, I'm not gonna lie. They've been nice and normal and just…"

"Nice?" Danny supplied, helpfully.

"Yea," Steve turned onto Piikoi Street and slowed down to coast into his driveway. "And, you know, dinner the other night, that was good, that was fun. Relaxing. Not weird at all."

"Nope," Danny shook his head as the truck came to a stop in front of Steve's fence.

"Okay, so maybe we just do that again? Dinner, a relaxing night, let the kids take any cases that come up?"

"They need the experience."

"Yes, they do, they need the experience," Steve nodded vigorously. "And we'll just talk to Lou tomorrow and tell him we have something planned and can he be on standby if Tani or Junior or Adam need anything, and we just – you know, we'll say we have a family thing going on."

"A family thing," Danny side eyed him. "You think Lou's going to believe that from you when you just told me a few weeks ago that he and the rest of the team think something is 'up' with us?"

Steve's bottom lip jutted out just slightly. "We'll figure it out tomorrow." He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the truck, quietly shutting his door and opening up the back cab so that he could get Khalid.

"You know, we could just tell them the truth." Danny walked ahead of Steve to the door and opened it, letting his partner in with a sleeping Khalid first.

"What's that?"

"That we need a night off together to hang out."

Danny could make out Steve's Aneurysm Face even in the dark. He waited while Steve padded up the stairs quietly to put Khalid to bed and turned on the couch side lamp, settling on the sofa until Steve came back down the steps and settled at the bottom of the stairs, looking at Danny from where he sat.

"We don't know what we're doing yet."

"And that's okay, but I don't really want to go through all the trouble of trying to hide it from our co-workers. One, that'd be exhausting; two, they're all detectives and they'll figure it out; and three, do you really think they'll have a problem with it?" Danny pinned him with a knowing look, lifting his fingers in air quotes. "'Steve and Danny are taking a Friday to themselves to work through some things.'"

"And just leave it at that?" Steve seemed uncertain. "You don't think they'll want to know anything more?"

"I'm sure they'll _want_ to, but really, at this stage in the game, it's really no one's business but ours." Danny stood up, crossing the small distance to stand in front of his partner. "You said we don't know what we're doing yet, and you're right; we don't. So why don't we start taking some time to figure that out?"

Steve gave him a considering look before taking a breath. "I'm never gonna turn down time with you," he answered quietly.

Danny gave him a wide smile in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Growing up, squash and bacon pan fried together was a man staple in our house. I always ate the bacon, and left the squash, because I was, and remain to this day, civilized like that.
> 
> I promise, the teasing is almost over. I mean, there are only four more chapters, so it's gotta be right? :D  
> (It's almost over, I swear)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Okay, so I think what's going to help both of us right now is to not think of this as a first date, but think of this as just one of those times we're going out to grab some food, like we do all the time."
> 
> Steve blinked at Danny, who was standing on the other side of the threshold while Steve held the front door wide open. "Okay, well, you just saying that kind of blew that idea out of the water."
> 
> "I just don't think we should put that kind of pressure on ourselves," Danny stepped into the living room, hands moving as quick as his mouth. Steve secured the door and leaned on the knob a bit as he watched his partner move about the room. "Because what's going to happen is, we're going to be worried about 'acting' like we're on a date, rather than actually being on one and just enjoying each other's company, and once we start doing that, we'll start second guessing everything we do and say and the night will not have a happy ending."
> 
> Steve grinned. "I usually don't do happy endings on the first date, Danny, but for you, I might make an exception."
> 
> "Jerk."

Chapter 12

When Steve got Khalid off the bus the next day and reminded him that he was going spend the night at Charlie's house, Khalid had jumped up and down and then skipped, quite literally, the rest of the way back home.

"Find that little duffel bag we bought a while ago for your first sleep over and try packing for the night, okay?" Khalid shouted something that sounded like an affirmation as his little feet carried him up the stairs at a rapid pace. Steve grinned as he reached for his phone and began tapping out a text.

_Taking Khalid over to Rachel's in a few_ , he typed to Danny. _Be over at 6:00pm_?

He was taking stock of the contents of his fridge when he felt his phone vibrate.

_Should I bring anything?_

Steve bit his lip, opening up the freezer. He had steaks and pork chops, but he frowned at those as he dug deeper and found a long strip of salmon, plenty for two guys to eat, but again, frozen.

_You want to eat here or out?_

Within half a minute his phone was buzzing again, the long and even vibrations indicating a phone call was incoming, and Steve answered it, already knowing what Danny was going to say. "It's not that I don't have stuff here, but it's all frozen. It's not going to taste as good."

" _Putz_ ," Danny muttered, " _you didn't remember to thaw anything overnight_?"

"Okay, in case you missed it when I said it the first time, it's all frozen, so no, Danny, I didn't pull anything out last night to thaw it," Steve shut the freezer door and sighed.

" _So, we go out then_ ," Danny answered quietly after a few minutes. " _Not a serious place, though. Some place casual, low key_."

"Kamekona's?"

" _Nah, I'm not in the mood for shrimp tonight_." Danny clicked his tongue a few times. " _Hey, what about that new pizza place down by the oceanfront? They say they've got pizza like you can get at the boardwalk back in Jersey_."

"Sounds as good a place as any," Steve shrugged. "So, pizza and then what?"

" _Play it by ear?_ "

"Alright. I'm gonna get Khalid together and drop him off at Rachel's."

" _I'll see you at six_."

Checking his watch, Steve left the kitchen and bounded up the stairs to help Khalid finish packing. He laughed when he saw he'd packed his Halloween costume. "Buddy, I don't think you need to take this with you. Halloween's over. It's November; we gotta start thinking about Thanksgiving."

"But Charlie's gonna have his costume and we wanna play superheroes!"

Well, what exactly could Steve say to that? Shrugging a shoulder and leaving the Captain America costume where it was, Steve made sure Khalid had pajamas, socks, clothes for the next day, shoes, and everything else he'd need. At some point during the process, Mr. Pickles pranced his way into the room and settled quite comfortably in Khalid's duffel bag before Steve lifted the cat out and gently settled him on the bed.

"Alright, go find Eddie and pet him goodbye, and then we gotta go."

Once both animals were sufficiently bid farewell, Steve hustled Khalid down the stairs and out the door into the truck. The drive to Rachel's was only about 20 minutes, and Steve tried very hard not to think about how strange it felt to be driving over to her place to drop off a child in his charge to her, knowing that Danny wouldn't be there, that it would just be him and Rachel for a few moments. Her little idea the previous night was appreciated greatly, but Steve couldn't help but feel a little mixed up over the whole thing.

He pulled the truck to a stop in Rachel's driveway and got out, helping Khalid down to the ground before heading up the sidewalk to the door, which was already open and had Rachel standing in it. "Hello to you both," she smiled, leaning against the door frame. "Khalid, Charlie's in the living room counting his candy and your bag is right next to his if you want to get started-"

Khalid was halfway through the door before Steve called him back. "Do I get a hug goodbye at least, buddy?" Steve pretended to be mortally hurt, turning on the sad puppy dog eyes and baleful voice. Rachel bit back a laugh as Khalid all but flung himself at Steve, hugging him tightly around the neck. "That's better," Steve patted his back and grinned at him. "Go have fun, and listen to everything Rachel tells you to do, okay?"

With a wave, Khalid was out of sight and both Steve and Rachel could hear him and Charlie talking excitedly from the other room.

"Thanks for offering to keep him for the night, Rachel, that's uh… it's really nice of you." Steve flashed an awkward smile because, yes, this was very, very weird. Rachel shrugged it off. "Charlie adores him, and Khalid is such a sweet child. It's really no trouble, Steven." She cleared her throat. "So…do you and Danny have anything planned, or…?"

"Uh," and if Steve felt strange before, he was downright uncomfortable now. He shifted a bit, avoiding her gaze. "Yea, we figured we'd grab dinner, you know. Just," he took a deep breath, "hang out."

"Good," Rachel bit her bottom lip gently. "Well, I'll not keep you."

"Yea, I should probably…" Steve indicated his truck in the driveway. "Uh, I didn't feed him before we came over here-"

"That's no trouble at all; Charlie hasn't eaten dinner yet either, so we'll all eat together," Rachel assured him.

"Yea," Steve backed up and lifted a hand to wave at her. "Tell Charlie I say 'hi'?"

"Of course," Rachel sent him off with a final smile and stepped into the house, shutting the door behind her. Steve stared at the closed door for a few moments, turning the exchange over in his head before shaking it and heading back down the sidewalk to hop in his truck. He had about an hour before Danny was supposed to be at the house and that would give him just enough time to shower, shave, and have a minor nervous breakdown before their date.

"Date," he muttered, backing out of the driveway and into the street. "Going on a date. With Danny."

He took a breath and steered for home.

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Okay, so I think what's going to help both of us right now is to not think of this as a first date, but think of this as just one of those times we're going out to grab some food, like we do all the time."

Steve blinked at Danny, who was standing on the other side of the threshold while Steve held the front door wide open. "Okay, well, you just saying that kind of blew that idea out of the water."

"I just don't think we should put that kind of pressure on ourselves," Danny stepped into the living room, hands moving as quick as his mouth. Steve secured the door and leaned on the knob a bit as he watched his partner move about the room. "Because what's going to happen is, we're going to be worried about 'acting' like we're on a date, rather than actually being on one and just enjoying each other's company, and once we start doing that, we'll start second guessing everything we do and say and the night will not have a happy ending."

Steve grinned. "I usually don't do happy endings on the first date, Danny, but for you, I might make an exception."

"Jerk."

"Look, instead of standing here talking about it and deciding how we're going to act around each other, you said the other night you wanted to figure out what we're doing, right? Just take some time to ourselves and figure this thing out; so why don't we do that? No pressure," Steve held his hands up, as if he were calming a displeased feline – and he had experience in that arena now – "just us. You and me, down at the beach, eating pizza, talking, maybe taking a walk along the shore."

Danny let out a heavy sigh, but Steve could see he was calming down. "Okay," Danny looked Steve up and down. "Is that what you're wearing or are you changing?"

Steve frowned. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" A plain black tee-shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and slippahs was as casual as one could get when going down to the oceanfront. Danny was similarly dressed, although he'd gone with a short-sleeved sky-blue plaid shirt instead of a regular tee-shirt. The fact that Steve actually noticed that the color simultaneously made his partner seem tanner and brought out the blue in his eyes wasn't lost on him.

"Nothing, nothing at all is wrong with what you're wearing, I just wanted to know if that's what you were wearing or if you were going to wear something else – I'm hungry." Danny bit his lip, giving Steve an appraising look again before clearing his throat. "I guess you want to take the Camaro?"

"We can take the truck if you want."

Danny laughed. "You just got through agreeing with me and saying this shouldn't be a high-pressure night and yet you're outright turning down a chance to drive my car. You're just as nervous as me, my friend."

"Yes, okay? Yes, I am nervous," Steve pushed off the front door and shuffled over to Danny. "Partly because I don't know what this is going to be like, partly because I don't know how the night is going to end, but mostly because I just now noticed how that shirt, which you've worn several times before, brings out your eyes and I really, really like that about that shirt, and that's a new feeling for me, okay? So yes, I'm nervous, but I also know that if I were going to have any kind of romantic feelings for any guy on this planet, those feelings would be for you. So, can we please get into the car, go get some pizza, and just hang out together, and see what happens?"

Danny worked his jaw a bit. Steve was about a foot away from him, and Danny noticed, not for the first time, that he smelled really good, and – "Did you shave?" He peered a little closer at Steve's face, which was usually sporting a bit of a shadow this time of day. "You did, didn't you."

"I did, yes. I shaved, so what? Is that bad?"

The corner of Danny's mouth lifted just a bit, and without answering, dug his hands into his pocket to hand his car keys over to Steve, and after Steve made sure Eddie and Mr. Pickles food and water bowls were full, he hustled Danny out of the house and into the car.

Steve pulled out of his driveway, pointing the car towards the oceanfront. "So, what's this place called again?"

"Giovanni's Pastrami," Danny shifted a bit in the passenger seat, getting comfortable. "They made the dough from scratch there, every day. They don't freeze it or anything like that."

"Do they order in water from New Jersey?" Steve grinned, glancing at him.

"When I eat a slice, I'll let you know."

The drive was relatively comfortable, and Steve was soon pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant. Judging from the number of cars surrounding them it was already busy. The place definitely had a sports bar feel to it, and both Steve and Danny were pleasantly surprised to see reruns of the past weeks games and _Sports Center_ playing on various televisions which lined the walls. Through the throng of patrons eating and milling about, in center of the restaurant just beyond the hostess stand, they saw a large, square bar area lined with tall, cherry wood high back stools which contrasted with the polished, light wood of the bar and surrounding tables. Six large screen televisions packed together on the back wall showed a myriad of games – football, baseball, along with sports talk shows all playing while bartenders and customers ate and talked. It was lively and fun, relaxed and casual. Steve grinned at Danny.

"Good choice."

Once they were seated and their pizza order in – a large half supreme pizza and half Hawaiian pizza – they settled back with their beers. "I wonder if Kamekona knows about this place," Steve wondered aloud as he looked around. "They look like they do alright here."

"I'm pretty sure Kamekona is aware of every single place you can eat on this island," Danny took a pull from his beer, his eyes flickering from the TV with a baseball game on back to Steve. "You know, when we were putting the restaurant together we had a nice bar, but we never thought about televisions or anything like that."

Steve shrugged. "Yea, so?"

"Being that we were a couple of cops, maybe we should've."

"Nah, your idea was perfect from the start, Danno," Steve assured him. "You wanted a nice, family style Italian restaurant and that's what we handed over to Kamekona. We didn't want a Sportsbackers bar or anything like that."

"This place has a couple of pool tables," Danny noted, pointing over to a section of the restaurant partitioned off by a low-level wall and behind it, four pool tables. On the other side, they could see a few people taking advantage of the gaming area.

"You want to play a game later?" Steve asked. Danny shook his head. "Nah. Maybe another time."

They passed the time watching the games and making bets on their preferred teams (the usual paperwork and lunch on the loser for a month) until their pizza came out. Steve nearly choked at the size of the pie as the server sat it between them. It smelled divine, and he had to admit that Danny's half of the pizza looked and smelled like the best he'd ever seen. Apparently, Danny thought so too, because his eyes practically glazed over as he took in the dinner in front of him. "Holy shit," he mumbled, plucking a sausage off the pizza and tasting it. Steve wasn't sure if he was elated or if he was going to cry.

"Danny? You okay?"

"It's real, authentic Italian sausage," Danny grabbed the spatula, serving himself a huge slice and picking up the plate to take a long, deep whiff. Steve thought Danny looked not unlike an addict taking a hit off the drug of their choice, and when Danny took a bite of his slice and all but crumbled into his seat, Steve had a flash, just a hint, a slight inkling, of what an orgasmic Daniel Williams might look like.

It didn't look half bad to Steve.

He coughed and took a long drink of his beer. "Good?" He asked, after he'd gotten a hold of himself. Danny moaned, nodding his head. "Water's from Jersey," he mumbled, taking another bite. Steve grinned and shook his head, serving himself his own slice of Hawaiian pizza. He wasn't sure if Danny was serious or if he was exaggerating, but Steve had to admit, out of all the places in the world he'd eaten pizza (and there'd been several), this place was probably in the top five.

"This is so good," Danny was saying, "I bet they can even make that abomination you're eating taste acceptable."

Steve held a slice out over the table. "You want a bite?" He teased it towards Danny but held on when his partner actually tried to take it from him, waving it back and forth in front playfully. "You're not taking the whole slice, Danny, just take a bite."

"You're really trying to feed me in the middle of a restaurant?" But Danny put his own slice down and leaned forward, letting Steve dangle the piece in front of him while he took a bite, chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed with a grimace. "Nope; pineapple's still a felony to have on pizza."

Steve chewed off a large bite of it. "You're delusional," he said around a mouthful.

"Charming, Steven, really."

They continued to eat and chat and watch each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Towards the end, Steve happened to look away from the replay of the Redskins/Patriots game (which, really, should've had a 'graphic content' warning for how thoroughly the 'Pats decimated the 'Skins) to catch Danny staring thoughtfully at him. "What?" Steve reached for his beer and drained it, holding his partner's gaze over the bottle as he did. Danny shook his head, ducking it as he reached for a napkin. "Nothing. Ready?"

Five minutes later, their tab was paid – "You actually brought your wallet this time? Very nice, babe." – and Steve and Danny were heading for the beach. It was a three block walk from the restaurant to the Sheraton Boardwalk, and the night life of a Friday night was already kicking into gear. The sun setting on the horizon painted the beach in soft swells of oranges, pinks, and golds, but the coming nightfall did nothing to move people off the sand. Steve and Danny could still see some surfers riding the last of the waves in the light before high tide came in and it became too dark and unsafe to surf. Of course, that didn't stop some of the more experienced and thrill-seeking surfers, but those who wanted to night surf likely wouldn't do it at a tourist spot anyway.

"Think we've got time to walk the shore before the tide comes in?" Danny asked. Steve glanced at his watch.

"High tide is supposed to start around 7:45 tonight, but we can stay up towards the boardwalk and we'll be fine. It'll be quieter over here anyway," Steve looked ahead of them. "The bay is just ahead and most everyone will want to be back that way near the Hilton." It would be quieter, more secluded for them, was what Steve meant; Danny was thankful Steve was on the same page as he.

"We can find a spot and watch the fireworks?" Steve suggested. Danny hummed an agreeable hum. He'd always enjoyed fireworks and the Hilton put on a pretty good show most Friday nights. "Tide comes in and the fireworks start at the same time; not bad timing at all."

Steve offered a soft grin and led Danny down the boardwalk towards Waikiki Beach which lined the bay of the same name. They hadn't brought any blankets or chairs with them, however, they were able to find some lounge chairs owned by the Sheraton not terribly far away and dragged two of them a little closer towards the shore, but not so close that they'd be swimming with the fish anytime soon once the tide swept in. It provided enough privacy with no one else sitting around them and the ensuing dusk provided enough shadowy cover that, unless someone had a flashlight, they wouldn't be seen from the boardwalk. Angling them towards the Hilton for the fireworks show, they sat side by side, Danny's right arm and Steve's left dangling into the sand, occasionally brushing against each other until Danny had enough and boldly interlaced his fingers with Steve's. McGarrett didn't object. Instead, he gently squeezed Danny's hand and held on.

They talked quietly with each other until the first volley of fireworks exploded in the sky. The Hilton never failed to produce a spectacular performance when it came to their fireworks displays and this evening was no different. Every color of the rainbow that lit the night's sky peppered their faces with reds and blues, greens and purples. At one point, Danny glanced over at Steve, and his heart caught in his throat for just a second, because Steve was completely relaxed, from his forehead down to his toes. The laugh lines around his eyes were smoothed out slightly, but not completely gone, and Danny noticed that a thumb, Steve's thumb, was gently stroking along his hand. As Danny looked back up at Steve, he realized that now wasn't the first time in the last few months that he'd thought about kissing his partner, but it was the first time where he didn't wonder if he'd enjoy it.

It was a good half hour before the final display fired off. Afterwards, Steve tugged Danny up from their chairs and they headed back towards the car, mutually dropping the contact once they hit the boardwalk. The drive home was silent, comfortable, but also thrumming with the kind of tension one only felt when a first date had gone well and one wanted to see how further it might go.

Steve pulled into his drive and turned off the engine, both of them sitting silently in the car, absorbing each other's presence until Steve took a poignant breath. "Do you want to come in?". He looked over at Danny, and even in the dusk of the car with only the porch lamp providing light, Danny could see the warm, settled gaze looking back at him. He smiled and nodded, getting out of the car and following Steve up the sidewalk and into the house. Steve veered off towards the kitchen and Danny didn't need Steve to tell him that he was getting beers and that Danny should just continue on to the back yard Except, instead of heading down to the shore where their usual chairs were, Danny grabbed one of the lounge chairs sitting off to the side of the lanai and dragged it down the beach line. Steve wasn't far behind him and Danny let him sit before turning to head back to get a second one.

"Where you going?"

"We need another chair?" Danny looked at Steve as if the answer was obvious, but when Steve shook his head and indicated Danny should sit in front of him. Danny swallowed, looked back up to the lanai, and took a breath before nodding. The limited space meant that he had to settle between Steve's legs, but it also meant that his back now had a far more comfortable padding in the form of Steve's chest than he'd have had with the hard plastic of his partner's lounge chair. He heard Steve ask if he was okay, heard the pitch in his voice, low and deep, close to his ear. Danny breathed deeply once more, suppressing a shiver, and nodded his head, leaning back against Steve and forcing himself to relax, even if his heart was racing.

"So, what'd you wind up telling Lou today?" Danny asked, once he was settled.

"About us tonight?"

Danny nodded, feeling Steve shrug.

"Just that we had something we needed to do and were going to be unavailable for most of the evening."

"He didn't ask what?"

"Nope."

"Really?" That surprised Danny somewhat, considering it had been Lou who'd made Steve aware that the rest of the team was beginning to wonder what was going on between the two of them.

"Not really."

"Okay, that's different from 'nope', Steven, that's a very different answer from 'nope'. How do we go from 'nope' to 'not really'?" Danny felt Steve squirm behind him.

"He might've asked me who was paying for dinner."

Danny sighed. "And what _might_ you have told him?"

"That… you know, it's possible I didn't answer him at all, and he suggested that I bring my wallet."

"I knew it was a fluke," Danny swiveled around a bit to look at his partner, who had 'Fascinated-Yet-Confused-Commander-Face' affixed squarely on his noble, angular features. He pretended to not notice just how close their faces were at the moment, choosing to focus on his mini rant. "I knew it. I knew you wouldn't have willingly brought that thing with you, and you had cash in there, too. That means he probably told you to swing by the bank, too, right?"

Steve hedged. "I mean, it's possible-"

"It's _possible_?" Danny laughed, ducking his head as he shook it.

Steve tilted his head just slightly, studying Danny while the ocean waves crashed behind him, as sure and present and constant as Danny had become in his own life. Steve felt Danny take a deep breath, saw him turn his gaze to look directly at him for a long moment. "Danny?" Steve prodded gently, wanting to know where his head was at.

"You shaved," he murmured quietly.

"I did." Steve nodded. They'd been over this.

"Why?"

"I thought it might be nice, you know…" Steve took a breath. "Different."

"Ah," Danny looked away, over his shoulder as the ocean behind him, inky, black, only the crests of the waves having any white to them. Steve had shaved for one reason and one reason only, and it was the same reason why every guy shaved before a first date. He looked back at Steve. "I didn't shave."

Steve's lips quirked in a smile. "That's okay." Danny saw his eyes flicker down, however fleetingly, at his lips for a split second before looking at Danny again. Steve tugged him forward a bit, slipping a hand on the small of Danny's back while the fingers of his other hand played with the fabric of his partner's shirt, the shirt Steve had said brought out Danny's eyes. Steve liked the shirt even more now because of it.

"Can I?" Steve's whispered question hung in the air between them, and Danny thought that if Steve didn't kiss him now, right now, both of them would lose any nerve to try again in the future. He nodded, even as he zeroed in on Steve's mouth, gingerly leaning forward.

It was awkward at first, the angle, Danny and Steve both trying to find the perfect path to each other where noses wouldn't bump and foreheads wouldn't collide. Steve came close at one point; Danny could feel his partner's breath on his cheek, could smell the remnants of beer and pizza, and he grinned as Steve pushed forward only to tease himself away a little, just an inch or two. They were tentative, and hesitant, and filled with nerves, but curiosity and basic want eventually overruled all else. When Steve's lips touched Danny's for the first time, nothing more than a sip of a kiss, Danny huffed softly against his mouth, pulling away slowly before pressing forward again, tilting his head as he softly, carefully tasted Steve. Somewhere along the way, Steve's fingers had ceased cautiously plucking Danny's shirt and were now outright gripping its collar while Danny's hand rested against the side of his Steve's neck, holding him steady.

Steve's lips slipped away from Danny's, a content rumble following him as he leaned back just enough to take in his face. Danny's eyes were as blue as Steve had ever seen them, even with the low lighting emanating from the house. He took a calming breath, pulling Danny closer to him, happy when Danny followed without a fight. "Okay?" he whispered softly, brushing his lips against Danny's cheek, which he felt move up and down erratically against his mouth.

"Yea," Danny murmured. "You?"

Steve nodded, his adam's apple sliding down before bobbing back up, and he took full advantage of the fact that Danny was distracted by it, noted it for future reference, and leaned forward to capture his lips again. He was still gentle, still soft, but there was far less timidity now in how Steve moved his mouth against Danny's, how he coaxed his partner's lips to part with a seeking, asking tongue, how he held Danny against him. It got even better when Danny pushed Steve back against the chair, half covering him while Steve wound an arm about Danny's lower back, pinning them both together. He could feel the prickle of Danny's scruff, knew his newly shaved and unprotected skin would be red and sensitive in the morning, but Steve couldn't find it in himself to care at the moment.

Danny Williams was kissing him on the beach behind his house, and Steve McGarrett was drinking everything his partner was giving him that he never knew he needed until that moment.

**Hawaii Five-0**

_Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz._

"Mmph," Steve had never wanted to ignore his phone more in his life than in that moment.

_Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz._

"Answer the phone or I'm answering it for you."

Steve's eyes flew open, his gaze meeting the back of a blond duck tail hair do and a white tee-shirt.

Danny. Right.

Steve stretched his arm out and gripped the phone, sliding his thumb on the screen and putting it to his ear.

"McGarrett."

" _Steve_?"

"Cath," Steve frowned. "It's-" he pulled the phone away from his ear, "-4:27 in the morning; what's going on?"

" _We've noticed some movement in the accounts of some of Hassan's family members_ ," she answered. " _They've all been over the last 48 hours and are low dollar amounts relatively speaking - nothing above ten thousand at a time - but when totaled together, they equal 150,000 in American currency or almost 1.5 million Moroccan Dirham_."

Steve sat up, ignoring Danny rolling over for the moment, and that Danny was in his bed for that matter. "Who are they?"

" _Based on their station, they'd all be cousins, second cousins, third, fourth, fifth sons_." Steve could hear the shuffling of paper on the other end of the phone. " _Harry's getting some more intel from some of his contacts in the region who are listening for chatter about Omar, Azra, or Khalid Hassan, or Hawaii in general_."

"Harry?" Steve frowned, looking over his shoulder at Danny, who was now wide awake and looking back at him with one arm tucked behind his head and his other hand resting on his stomach.

" _Harry Langford? British, bares a slight resemblance to James Bond_?"

"No, yea, I mean – I know Harry, I just… how long is that training conference?"

"… _he's on vacation_."

"Okay," Steve rubbed his eyes. It was too early to go down this rabbit hole with his ex-girlfriend.

Catherine pressed on. " _Anyway, now that the money has been moved and consolidated into one bank account, we're thinking they're going to make a move relatively soon. You should probably think about moving Khalid to a safe house_."

Steve's mouth thinned. Khalid had managed to have a relatively normal experience for the last five months or so. Moving him to a safe house now would just disrupt that, but-

"Is Harry around?"

" _Not at the moment, he's talking with a few people, poking around." She hedged a bit before asking. "We can come to Hawaii… if you think there's a need_?"

"Are you on leave too?"

" _I can be. God knows I've stored up the hours from the field work I've done_." Steve could hear the smile in her voice.

"Alright, give me a call when Harry has something solid from his contacts and we'll go from there."

" _Will do. Aloha_."

Steve ended the call and groaned, hanging his head tiredly for a few seconds. It was only when Danny asked what was going on that Steve forced himself to lie back down. He wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon. "That was Catherine; Hassan's family members are moving money around."

Danny absorbed that information, not needing a road map to what that meant. "We knew that this was a possibility." Steve nodded beside him, looking up at the ceiling. "We can use a safe house, keep one or two of us with him at all times," Danny continued on with suggestions until Steve rolled over, propping his head up.

"I think I've got a better idea."

Danny quirked an eyebrow.

"Whoever these people are, whoever they're using, they'll come to Hawaii because Khalid is here, right?"

"Yea."

"So why not lead them right where we want them to go?"

Danny tilted his head. "A fake safe house, you mean?"

"That's exactly what I mean," Steve nodded. "We'll upload the info to the system, classify it as best we can under the state's minimum standards, have Jerry bury it just enough to make it look like we're serious about keeping the location confidential, but not so much that a hacker can't find it, and they'll have to hack in, right? Because otherwise, how will they know where to look?"

"Unless they're already on the island," Danny pointed out.

"Doubtful. Catherine said the money only started moving in the last two days and only in low dollar amounts. Extractions like this? They'll want to get paid at least a little something before they get here."

"Okay, so, we watch for the first large payment of the bulk amount and then we'll know when they plan on making their move," Danny nodded, sitting up and stretching his arms. "We'll make sure Jerry backdates the fake info." He looked over his shoulder, then around the room. "At least we're both wearing clothes. Not bad for first date etiquette," he smirked.

"Yea," Steve half chuckled, half cleared his throat. "No falling into bed with each other drunk. That's a good thing."

"Well, we did fall into bed together, but we just slept, and we're wearing pajamas – well, you're wearing pajamas, I'm in boxers and a shirt. So, there was no… we didn't –," he groaned, "ah, fuck." Danny rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling the skin there warm

"No, we didn't do that," it was a joke that was hanging out there, and Steve took it shamelessly.

"Oh my God, why would you ever in your life take that opening?" Danny whined, but it did nothing to hide the flush he knew was reddening his face. It had been a long time since someone had made him feel the kind of full body heat Steve made him feel last night. They may not have done anything once they went to bed, but that didn't mean Steve and Danny didn't make the most of their evening.

"We made good, adult decisions. Though we probably should've stopped at the one six pack of Longboards last night. We might be three years removed from me giving you my liver but I don't guess the docs would be really happy with our alcohol levels right now." Danny lay back down, sliding onto his side to face his partner. "You realize it's almost five in the morning and we're sitting here talking about work and liver functionality?"

"I can go make breakfast?" Steve offered.

"We could go back to sleep, too. I reiterate – it's five in the morning, on a _Saturday_ of all days."

Steve hummed in thought while his eyes raked over his partner's face. "I like this," he said suddenly, a boyish smile on his face. "This… this is good?"

"Yea, babe," Danny scooted a little closer, not nearly as hesitant as he'd been last night. "This is good." He gazed quietly at Steve, who looked right back at him, studying him as closely as Danny was him. "You're sure you're okay with all of this? No big gay freak out? Not gonna go swimming to Japan or something?"

"No," Steve snorted, "I'm not going to go swimming to Japan." He sighed; Danny wrinkled his nose a bit at the morning breath, more at the idea than the actual smell (which of course wasn't bad because hey, Steve McGarrett). "I'm not freaking out, Danny. I'm – this is good. I didn't know I wanted or needed you like this until last night."

"Good," Danny took breath, turning his face into the pillow for a second to collect himself. "That's good." He felt Steve nudge him and Danny tipped his face up again to look at him.

"What about you?" Steve asked.

Instead of answering, Danny inched forward and nuzzled Steve's nose gently, leaving a soft peck on the tip before moving down and kiss him gently. He was pleased to hear a gratified whimper from Steve as he kissed him lazily in the pre-dawn light breaking through the curtains and resolved to make Steve replicate that sound as often as he could. "I'm good," he murmured, pulling away just enough to speak against Steve's mouth. "This is good."

Steve sank against him, pushing Danny back into the pillows as he set to owning the mouth beneath his like it was his singular mission in life, groaning in answer to the quiet, wanting moans Danny was making. It was when Danny's hips rolled and Steve felt a hard, hot line of desire against his thigh that both of them froze, their eyes flying open and staring at each other.

"Um," Steve half coughed, half laughed, hiding his face against Danny's neck.

"Yea. You're uh… you're very good at this, at kissing," Danny grinned, shaking with nerves as he felt Steve just has hard and ready against his stomach. He knew he was sporting the same, feeling himself brush against Steve's pajama clad leg. "We should probably…"

"Yea," Steve groaned, lifting himself away from Danny and settling next to him. He propped his head on Danny's chest though, unwilling to give up that contact with his partner. "We should head into HQ, start working on Khalid's fake safe house."

"What are we going to do with him when it's time to actually stash him somewhere safe?"

Steve lifted his head, a knowing smile on his face and Danny saw explosions and automatic rifle fire in his near future.

"I have an idea for that, too."

**Hawaii Five-0**

Steve and Danny headed over to Rachel's late in the afternoon to pick up Khalid, and even though Khalid begged to stay another night to hang out with Charlie, Steve held firm and ushered the kid out of the house with a 'thank you' to Rachel for having him and an offer in hand for Khalid to stay over whenever he liked. He knew Rachel and Danny needed to pre-game before Sunday, when they would be telling Charlie and Grace that their mother would be living between Los Angeles and Hawaii.

Steve had told Danny to come over afterwards if he wanted, and so he wasn't surprised when Danny showed up at his house shortly after 7:00 Sunday evening, although unlike Friday night, his partner didn't knock. He walked right in and found Steve in his father's study, sitting at the desk with a slew of papers spread out in front of him.

"What's all that?" Danny took a seat.

"All of the documentation that we need to fill out for the safe house that's not a safe house," Steve sat back and stretched his arms, eyeing Danny. "How'd it go?"

"Better than I expected," Danny took a breath before continuing. "You know, at first, he wasn't wild about being away from Rachel so much, but when Rache explained that she'd be home for at least ten days every month and that he'd have his own bedroom in L.A. and could visit her on long weekends and in the summer and things like that, he came around. Grace helped," Danny laughed.

"She helped?"

"Yea, she told Charlie that now he gets to have four rooms to keep all his stuff in – he has one here at your place, then he's got the one at my house, then Rachel's, and now he's going to have one in L.A., so of course he has to fill them all. When I left, he was going through 'themes' for his new room."

Steve grinned. "Themes, huh? I guess that would keep him busy."

"Yea, he's still got the race car decorations for his room at my place, and his room at Rachel's is kind of plain, so she told Charlie she was going to need help moving in and decorating and all that and put him in charge of his own room." Danny shrugged. "As far as distraction and coping methods go, it's a solid one."

"So, everything's okay then?" Steve had to ask, because it all seemed so easy, _too_ easy, to him.

"For now. If he's anything like Grace was when me and Rachel first split up, he'll probably have some breakdowns here and there, but we'll deal with it. The important thing is that his life isn't being entirely uprooted, he's not moving permanently, he still gets to go to school with all of his friends and be around most of his family." Danny drummed his fingers on the desk lightly. "Even though Rachel's going to be making a lot more money than she is now, I told her I'd step up on the expense side of things for Charlie. I'll have to since she won't be here as often, and we'll have to make everything legal with the lawyers, but other than that," he shrugged. In Danny's eyes, everything was good, and Steve certainly wasn't going to encourage him to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"You hear from Harry or Catherine yet?"

"Yea, as a matter of fact, I talked to Harry about three hours ago. He and Cath are on their way here from an undisclosed location," Steve grumpily quoted his fingers in the air. "They'll be here tomorrow."

"Are you seriously pouting because somebody else pulled the 'it's classified' thing on you?" Danny snickered as he got up, heading into the kitchen to grab waters for him and Steve. His stomach was still protesting their Friday night drinking activities, and he knew if he was still having problems, Steve likely was as well.

"S'not like they couldn't at least tell me the country they were flying out of," Steve pouted.

"So, what did Harry say?"

"There are a few members of the Hassan family that put out word, quietly, to some known high-level mercenaries in the Middle East that they want Khalid back. Word is that they blame Five-0 for Omar and Azra being arrested. They're saying Khalid's being 'held against his will by the West'."

Danny rolled his eyes. "They're fundamentalists?"

"Well, Omar and Azra weren't. I doubt their immediate family members are, but the further you branch out from the center of the family, the further into Middle Eastern culture you get. Some might be moderate Muslims, others might be fundamentalist radicals, sometimes you'll find a straight political radical." Steve shrugged. "It all depends on the country, the regime, the family, the sect if you're a practicing Muslim – there are people in the Middle East who are moderate Muslims but who support any fighting against the West purely on a political front."

"Okay, well they all sound nuts to me," Danny did not have the patience for theological or political conversation; he never had, he probably never would. None of it ever made sense to him, and every politician he'd ever met, with maybe the exception of Governor Denning, had been corrupt as the day was long in his eyes. "What do we do?"

"Wait for Cath and Harry to get here. Tomorrow, we'll get Jerry to upload these files onto the server," Steve held them up, "set up some safeguards that can be hacked into with a little skill. As soon as we see the first payment move from the account, I'll have Harry and Catherine take Khalid to the real safe house."

"And where's that gonna be?"

"You remember that resort we stayed at a few years ago on Maui? You know, with the therapy sessions, Lorraine-"

"Oh, yea, you mean the one I broke my ankle at-"

"- _sprained_ your ankle, sprained-"

"-when you were trying to ditch class to go and text what's-her-face and you made me take a dive onto the floor?"

"Alissa." Steve grinned. "She was nice."

"Yea, she was nice, I saw how nice she was all over your face when you got back that night." It was Danny's turn to pout and grumble and Steve laughed, nudging his partner with a foot. "Don't be jealous, Danno."

"Jealous, you think this is jealousy? No, no, this is not jealousy, Steven, this is me remembering getting woken up after only an hour of sleep when you got back to the room and stumbled your way through the bathroom like a drunk Stevie Wonder, okay? And then, you passed out and it took me forever to get back to sleep 'cause of my ankle." Danny pinned him with a look that actually had Steve feeling halfway to guilty.

"Are we at the stage in our relationship yet where I can give you a foot massage to make up for it?"

"You're nuts," Danny muttered, taking a long drink of his water before swallowing and looking at Steve a little softer this time. "This stage in our 'relationship', huh?"

Steve ducked his head a bit, studiously looking at the papers he had in front of them, hoping that the heat he felt on the back of his neck wasn't translating onto his face. No such luck with Danny, though; the man knew him too well.

"Let's get all this stuff with Khalid figured out," Danny said slowly, "and then we can get you and me figured out."

"Yea?" Steve's lips lifted in a slight grin. Danny couldn't help but return it.

"Yea."

**Hawaii Five-0**

It was just after 11:00am when Catherine and Harry strolled into headquarters. A curious Khalid, kept out of school for the week by Steve, peered out from behind Steve's legs as the trio caught up with each other and exchanged handshakes and hugs. Catherine was the first to kneel down and greet Khalid in his native Arab tongue. He waved shyly back at her, looking up at Steve questioningly.

"It's okay, buddy," Steve got down on his level. "This is Catherine, and this is Harry. They're really good friends of mine. You remember me telling you about that really cool place on Maui with the dolphins and the mini golf and all the other fun stuff?"

Khaild nodded.

"Yea? Well, they're gonna take you there for a little while, let you run around and play with some animals for a few days."

"You come too?" Khalid asked, big brown eyes wide and hopeful.

"I gotta stay here and take care of some stuff for work, but I promise you as soon as I get everything done and everything's okay here, I'll either come out there and get you, or I'll call Cath and Harry and let them know to bring you home."

That answer didn't seem to sit well with Khalid, who stuffed himself against Steve and buried his face into his neck. "Wanna stay with you," he whimpered. Steve's heart broke. If anyone knew what it was to desperately want to stay with his father, it was Steve McGarrett. Not that he was comparing himself to Khalid's father, but it was hard not to recognize the association or identify with it, loose as it may be.

"Why can't Danno take me?"

Catherine raised an eyebrow and mouthed 'Danno' at Steve, and he knew that would be the subject of a rather uncomfortable interrogation courtesy of his ex-girlfriend/almost fiancé.

"Danno's gotta stay here and help me. Danno's the best, right?" Steve felt Khalid nod, even if it was begrudgingly. "Yea, Danno's the best, buddy, and I need the best." He pulled away just enough to look at Khalid's face. "So, what do you say? I've known Cath here for a really, really long time. She's a lot of fun, loves surfing, and the beach, and dolphins."

Khalid flicked his gaze to Catherine, then to Harry, lingering on him for a long moment before pointing at him. Harry chose to bend down, resting his hands on his knees. "I'm not going to lie to you, I'm not nearly as fun as these two right here, but I do play a mean game of Tag, and I'm not too shabby with 'Go Fish', either."

"You like Tag?" Khalid asked dubiously, like it wasn't possible that Harry Langford could like or play so awesome a game.

"Do I like Tag? I've played it against many different people for years and have won each and every time!"

"Why do I get the feeling we're not talking about the same kind of Tag?" Steve muttered. Catherine laughed under her breath.

As the three adults continued to coax Khalid into accepting that he was going to be spending some time on Maui with Catherine and Harry, Lou and Adam pushed through the doors of the bullpen, with Danny following just a few moments later, and another round of greetings and hugs followed.

"Can I just say, I think it's great that this over-sized ninja got the 'it's classified' answer about where you two were? Thank you for that, that was amazing. He was jealous for days." Danny stuck his hands in his pockets and bounced up and down on his heels, smug as a bug and enjoying immensely the eyeroll Steve leveled his way. "Like I've never been told that before, and I wasn't jealous, _and_ it wasn't days; hours, maybe."

"How's retirement treating you?" Lou asked Harry as the latter straightened, shrugging at Lou's question as he shook his hand.

"I'd say semi-retired now, work when I like. Think of me as a consultant for MI6 these days, with all of the benefits and little to no responsibility."

"Well, those benefits have definitely come in handy," Steve stood up, Catherine doing the same. "I really appreciate you both coming out here and helping with this."

"Of course," Catherine offered a warm smile. "Like I said, he was on vacation and I was overdue for one; any excuse to go to Maui sounds like a good idea to me." She ignored the look Steve was giving her, choosing instead to focus on Danny. "Been keeping him in line, I hope?" She nodded towards Steve.

"Best as I can, but you know how this animal is." Danny lifted an arm and accepted her into a hug. Things were okay between them for the most part these days. Danny would probably always hold a sore spot for how she left Steve high and dry all those years ago, but things were different now. Steve was different, and Danny knew his partner still cared for Catherine very much, not to mention that Catherine had been Danny's friend too. He could move on, for all their sakes, so long as Steve was alright in the end.

"I do know that," Catherine grinned.

"We'll just wait for Junior, Tani, and Jerry to get here," Steve said, sliding his phone back into his pocket and walking Khalid to his office to get him comfortable. The group made small talk until the aforementioned trio arrived, and soon it was like old times, nine seasoned investigators, CIA and MI6 agents, cops, and military veterans all standing around the smart table while Steve took them through his plan.

"So, all of the fake information has been uploaded then?" Catherine looked at Jerry, who nodded his head. "We did that on Sunday, made sure it was back dated, even in the system. If they hack in, they'll have to go pretty deep to find the actual date when the info was uploaded."

"Yea, but with the way they're moving money around now, I don't think they're going to think about that," Adam pointed out. "It's been over five months and we've been watching them like hawks. They had to have known they were being monitored, and now all of a sudden, they just start depositing and withdrawing funds?"

"They think we've taken our eyes off of them, but we haven't," Steve supplied. "They think they're safe, that we're settled since it's been so long, that we think they won't bother to come after Khalid now. This is going to be a quick smash and grab for them, so they're not going to risk hanging around on our servers for too long. They'll get what they need and get out."

"And don't forget, these accounts are owned by people who would be considered mid to low level on the totem poll of the family," Harry said. "Middle Eastern families are very tight knit, very tribal, particularly those in the Arab and Persian cultures. Decisions are made by those at the top. Based on the information from my research and contacts in the region, we're talking money being moved by cousins, second cousins, third or fourth level sons – individuals who will likely never see real power in their lives when it comes to their family fortunes."

"Sounds a lot like the Yakuza," Adam murmured. Harry nodded. "They're quite similar, though the Yakuza see the value in ensuring all of the family is taken care of. Things are a bit more cutthroat when you delve into families who have historical ties to terrorist cells."

"So, what's the plan then?" Tani folded her arms loosely over her chest, leaning against the table. "We send Catherine, Harry, and Khalid to Maui, and wait at the fake safe house for these people to show up?"

"Basically," Steve nodded. Danny clicked his tongue. "Okay, but how do we know when they're going to send out the first payment? And how much is that going to look like?"

"They'll probably wire around half of what's in the account to the people they hired," Junior answered. "Then, the other half comes when they deliver the package."

"The package. You mean Khalid?" Danny knew exactly what Junior meant, but his tone made it clear he didn't want anyone referring to the child as an asset. Junior cleared his throat, shifted his stance a bit, and Steve slipped a placating hand on Danny's back. "That's usually how it works," Steve averted any further disagreement as a chime went off on Harry's phone.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Harry murmured, thumbing the screen a bit. Lou peered over his shoulder. "What's that?"

"This is a communication from one of my contact's in the region. The first half of the money's been moved."

"How much?"

"Just about 75,000 of your American dollars," Harry held the phone up for Lou to examine. "It would seem our chess pieces are making their way to the board."

"Wait, why didn't we catch the money moving?" Tani pointed at the table, looking at Jerry. "We've been watching their accounts for months; we should've caught it."

"Yea, but we've only been watching the account of the top people, the ones who make the decisions, and those close to them," Junior countered. "Mr. Langford is right – in these kinds of families, it's really rare for the extended family to go against the heads of the family."

"Okay, but you just said these people are cutthroat," Danny crinkled his forehead.

"It is, the closer you are at the top. It's more self-preservation than anything that keeps the others in line." Steve cleared his throat. "Jerry, are we all set on their reservations and the copter?"

"Yep. Copter's all set to go whenever we need it and the reservations will be for Mister and Missus Harry and Catherine Mitchell," Jerry reached into his pocket and handed the two agents their ID's and other documents. "I spoke to the hotel manager; they'll have a room ready whenever we need it."

"Mister and Missus?" Catherine arched an eyebrow, her glare reserved for Steve and Steve alone, who made his best attempt at manufacturing the perfect face of innocence. "What? Hey, at least this fake marriage makes sense, okay? You're taking your kid from a previous marriage on a vacation with your new husband to Maui." Steve crossed his arms, but try as he might, he couldn't stop the tug of satisfaction pulling at the corner of his lips. "Unless, you don't think you can make that cover work?"

Tongue firmly planted in the side of her cheek, Catherine cleared her throat. "We have some shopping to do, I think. I'll make sure to send you the receipts for the expense report. Jerry, when do we check in to the resort?"

"Well, now that they've moved the money, I guess tonight?"

Steve nodded. "Whoever they're using will need a full 24 to 48 hours to get a plan together, incorporate travel time, surveillance time, and they'll need time to hack into the server, but it's best if Khalid gets off the island as soon as possible. That may not seem like a lot of money to us, but in their currency, that equals three quarters of a million dollars, so chances are they're using someone local to them. Harry, can you get us that account number and any ID information your contacts have on it?"

Harry nodded. "No trouble at all." He beamed at Catherine. "Shopping on Maui then," Harry grinned. "Sounds like a good time. I did so enjoy choosing a gown for you when we last did this."

Steve took a breath, looking over his shoulder at Khalid, who was busy coloring in a book on the floor in his office. With any luck, this would all be over in a few days and he could go back to being a normal kid with a (somewhat) normal life. But they had to get through this week.

Squaring his shoulders, Steve headed towards his office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, I turned that ridiculous joke of a marriage cover for Steve and Catherine that Harry thought up in 9.11 into an actual useful plot point for this chapter, and let Steve have some fun with it all at the same time.
> 
> Also, for your touring pleasure, Giovanni's Pastrami IS in Waikiki just a few blocks from the beach on Lewers Street!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I will sleep, I promise, Danny. I’ll sleep. I’ve just got a few more things to do and then I promise, you’ll see me taking a nap.”
> 
> “Yes, because I will be taking you back home to take that nap.” Danny stuck his hands in his pockets. Steve sighed.
> 
> “Is it going to be like this now? Huh? Now that we’re dating or seeing each other or whatever it is that we’re doing, is it going to be you with the mother hen routine every time I get up a little early for work?”

**Hawaii Five-0**

It was 2:30 in the morning when the alert on Jerry's computer went off. He pushed his chair away from his desk and rolled over to the monitor, a satisfied grin settling on his face. Grabbing his cell, he dialed Steve. A groggy voice answered.

"Commander, the alerts I set up in the server went off. I'm pretty sure they're accessing the information now."

" _They hacked in_?"

"Yep, looks like it. I'll give it a little bit before I start poking around in there, but I'm pretty sure they're getting everything they'll need on the house."

" _That's great, Jerry. Do me a favor – get with the TSA and work on getting the passenger manifests for every flight coming in from the Middle East, including connecting flights, and get with every private airstrip in the entire state. If we can figure out who they are before they land, we can track them once they do_."

"And if not?"

" _We know where they're going; we'll wait them out_." Jerry heard the rustling of sheets and clothing on the other end. " _I'm on my way in_."

By the time Steve got to headquarters, Jerry was in the bullpen. A schematic of… something, Steve couldn't tell, was up on the main screen. "What is that?"

"This is our event log for our server – basically, it's like a map of every command we make when we use our computers," Jerry magnified a certain area, bringing it to the center of the screen. "See that?"

Steve nodded.

"That's our IP address, our network code – all of this is ours. But if you look over here…" Jerry brought up another screen, "you'll see an external access point from a hidden IP address at 2:28am our time. And when I go to the files we hid with the fake safe house information, you'll see that someone from that same external IP address managed to access the file. They were in there less than five minutes before they closed it out and they tried to cover their tracks, but they didn't cover them good enough."

"Alright, so they have it then." Steve took a deep breath. "They don't want to wait to get this done, that's for sure, so we'll probably be seeing them by the end of the week. You get with TSA yet?"

"Not yet, I wanted to work through this and trace back the footprints."

"Alright, I'm gonna work on getting in touch with them then. Good job, Jerry – go home, get some sleep."

"You're just going to stay here all night?"

"I'll catch a quick nap during the morning once everyone else gets here," Steve waved him off.

"Okay, but if Detective Williams asks how long you were here, I'm telling him the truth." Jerry headed out, leaving Steve to his phone calls and the schematics of the house they were using. The head of the TSA in Hawaii wasn't thrilled about being woken up at three in the morning, but Steve didn't have time to care about the guy's beauty sleep. The promise of owing the TSA one and lunch on Steve was enough to put the other man at ease and by the end of the phone call, Steve was assured he would have a full accounting of every passenger list on a flight with connections or origins from anywhere in West Asia no later than noon.

It was 6:30am when Steve picked up his phone and text Danny to let him know not to worry picking him up for work, and it was also his sense of self preservation, at least in the meantime, that led Steve to tell his partner that he was already at the office and to come in at his normal time.

So, Steve was completely unsurprised to see Danny saunter through the door just before 7:30am.

"Good morning."

"Don't you good morning me. How long have you been here?"

"A while," Steve quickly picked up some files and made his way out of the office. Distance; distance and movement, that was the key here. "Our guys bit and broke into our servers last night, they have the info on the house and the location, and we'll have the passenger lists of the planes coming in or connecting from the Middle East pretty soon, and, since we have the account information the money was sent to, we should have at least one name and face to cross reference with those manifests. So," Steve turned around and beamed, now that the smart table was between him and Danny, "it's been a good morning."

"That's wonderful, I'm glad it's been such a productive morning for you, Steven."

Steve wasn't fooled by the conciliatory words for one moment, but who was he to be impolite? "Thank you, Danny."

"That still doesn't answer my question, that question being: How long have you been here?"

"You know, I've really lost track, Danny. I've been working, making phone calls, you know… working," Steve held up the files as if to say, 'See? Work. I was doing it'.

"Okay, well," Danny pulled out his cell phone, "I know for a fact Jerry stayed here over night to monitor our network, so I'm willing to bet lunch that if I call him, he'll have some idea of when you got here."

"Okay, alright, fine. Don't wake Jerry up, he got to bed late." Steve huffed through his nose, his nostrils flaring.

"And how late would that be?"

Steve mumbled a time. Danny scoffed. "Was that English?"

"A little after three this morning, okay?" Steve sighed. "I'll take a nap, Danny, I promise."

"Yes, yes you will take a nap, because we will be camped out at a house for the next few days where sleep will be hard to come by, waiting for international terrorists to drop in, thinking they're going to kidnap a kid back to Jallabad-"

"Morocco," Steve rolled his eyes.

"-and they're probably not going to just walk nicely up to the door and knock, Steve. They're probably not gonna be polite and say, 'Excuse us, Mr. McGarrett, we'd like to take Khalid back to our desert sandcastle where he can grow up to be just like us one day!'. They're not going to do that, they're probably going to have guns and knives and God knows what else, which means they're going to put up a fight, which means you need to get some sleep!"

"I will sleep, I promise, Danny. I'll sleep. I've just got a few more things to do and then I promise, you'll see me taking a nap."

"Yes, because I will be taking you back home to take that nap." Danny stuck his hands in his pockets. Steve sighed.

"Is it going to be like this now? Huh? Now that we're dating or seeing each other or whatever it is that we're doing, is it going to be you with the mother hen routine every time I get up a little early for work?"

"Ohhh, I think we came in at the wrong time, fam."

Lou's voice was the absolute last voice either Danny or Steve expected to hear at that moment, but of course he wasn't alone – Adam, Junior, and Tani were right behind him, and the looks on their faces were the perfect expressions of shock.

Danny was the first to recover, because of course his motor mouth could work in any situation. "What, uh… what - why are you guys here so early?"

Lou peered at him.

"You text me and told me Steve was already here, and I assumed that meant we had something, so I texted Adam, he called the other two. Here we are." Lou offered a sarcastic grin. "Isn't it great?"

"So, we were right," Tani mused, looking between Steve and Danny. "There is something going on?"

"Hey, I got an idea; instead of concentrating on what is or isn't going on in our personal lives, let's focus on getting a game plan together for the next few days for when these lowlifes show up at the house, okay?" Steve pierced everyone with a kind but pointed look that sent a very clear message to his team: the topic of he and Danny was not up for discussion, at least not at the moment.

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Alright, so cameras and motion sensors are up around the house and the perimeter of the property," Jerry informed them as they filed into the living room of the safe house one by one, setting down their gear and looking around. "We'll be able to see them coming no matter the direction they choose, and since this place has a lot of acreage, we won't have to worry about upset neighbors or anything like that once the action starts."

"Or putting bullets through their windows," Danny added helpfully.

"Or them," Tani grimaced.

"Or any of that," Jerry grinned. "We also have the passenger manifests of flights leaving the middle east or connecting anywhere within that region and coming to any airport in Hawaii. Thought you guys might want to have a look at this guy here," Jerry tapped in a few commands to his laptop as everyone crowded around it.

"Karim Rafik Soulhain," Steve read aloud. "Who is he?"

"That is one of many aliases for one Karim Rafik Al-Massoud," Jerry typed a few keys and brought up a file. "He's on British Airways flight 2756 departing at 7:37am Marrakesh, Morocco time."

"Okay, so it's just about," Steve looked at his watch, "4:30pm here, so that means he'll be on a plane come 8:30pm our time. What's his flight plan?"

"A stop off in London, where three guys connected to the Hassan family have also coincidently booked flights – all on different airlines though and leaving at different times. The last guy's flight to Honolulu is at 7:30pm London time tomorrow, but they'd all be together on the island no later than… 1:30 in the morning on Wednesday."

I'm not even gonna ask how you calculated that in your head," Lou shook his head.

"Smart," Adam nodded. "What are their names?"

"Interpol knows them as Michael Omar Harrak, Omar Saad Azoulay, and Benjamin Anis Belkacem."

"And their jackets?" Tani asked.

"All of them have connections to groups the United States would consider less than savory, and they've been implicated in a handful of intimidation operations within Morocco and elsewhere in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan, especially when it comes to groups or individuals funding terrorist operations against the United States and the West. For example," Jerry clicked the mouse a few times. "Two of these guys, Azoulay and Harrak? They were thought to be connected to the kidnapping of two children from a wealthy Jordanian family. When I flipped through the investigators' reports, it had all the signs that those two were in on it, but they couldn't get anything solid."

"And what happened to the kids?" Junior asked, his tone of voice making it clear he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to that.

"They were both returned safely after their father dropped out of a local political race. And who was his opponent, you ask?" Jerry flipped to another page. "Haroun Nabeez Al-Amari, older brother to one Azra Hassan."

"Wait, wait, wait," Lou rubbed his head as if it hurt, and at this point, it probably did. "You're telling me that these two numbskulls kidnapped two kids, and just by coincidence, the father drops out of a race and no one thought to look at Azra's brother as being a possible suspect?"

"Like I said – they couldn't make anything stick, not to Azoulay and Harrak, and definitely not to Azra's brother." Jerry shrugged.

"Meaning they were probably bought off," Danny muttered. "Okay, so what now?"

"Now, we set up here and wait for them to come to us," Steve shrugged off a jacket and started going through the gear.

"You know," Danny started, and Steve looked up at him. "We could just wait at the airport for these guys and arrest them right on the spot."

"For what? Flying into Hawaii? Last time I checked, that's not illegal, Danny."

"No, but like Jerry said, they have relationships to some groups the U.S. doesn't like too much, so we go to whatever airport these yahoos are flying into, get them right off the plane, arrest them, and turn them over to the U.S. Marshals and we all get to go home."

"Yea, and then they get the Hassan family's hot shot lawyers on the phone and they're released in an hour. No way," Steve lifted up an armor bag and started to piece together the rifle within it. "These guys aren't getting away off a technicality. I want them to come here, thinking Khalid is here, so we can end this, and that kid can come back home and go to school and have a normal childhood. Whether these guys go down hard or not, if they come to this house, we've got 'em, right? We can get search warrants for all of their belongings, we'll probably find the laptop or computer they used to hack into our systems, we've got the money going to an account in their name – if they come to us, Danny, we've got them. If we go to them, they walk."

Danny hated it when Steve was right, and he said so. "Thank God Charlie's with Rachel this week," he muttered, prepping his own rifle. "Why the hell are they flying over the Atlantic to get to Hawaii anyway? Wouldn't it be faster for them to go the other way?"

"You'd think so, but it's not really, not by much. If they're going from Marrakesh to London, that's a four hour flight-"

"How do you know?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "I spent some time in Marrakesh, Danny, remember?"

Oh.

"And then from London to here is about 18 hours. If they're meeting up in London, it's because they have some things to go over, plus three of the guys are already there." Steve finished one rifle and went onto the next. "My guess is they'll make their final plans there and hop on a plane here. Once they touch down, they'll either hole up somewhere, sleep for a bit, and then come here or they'll come right to the house from the airport."

"You want me to get in touch with Duke and have him get HPD on the ground at the airport? Call us when they come in one by one?"

"No, I don't want to spook them," Steve paused. "I don't want them knowing we have any idea we know they're coming and if Duke sends officers to the airport, they might figure it out and bail."

"Okay, alright, so how about sticking the kids at the airport starting tomorrow afternoon?" Danny crept up beside Steve. "I know you want these guys bad, babe. But we need to know when they get here, right? We need to put eyes on them so that we know they're here, where they're at, and when they're on their way. We can keep HPD off to the side on a long leash, Steve. They know how to do this stuff."

Steve breathed deeply and nodded after a few seconds. "Yea. Yea, you're right. Okay."

Danny nodded, slipped out his phone, and dialed Duke.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Despite Danny's comments to the contrary, Steve had made a pretty good career out of being patient. Sitting in a cave with five other guys for days, sometimes weeks on end waiting for your target to show himself did that to a person. For the rest of Monday night and most of the day Tuesday, the team kept tabs on their four suspects, calling airlines and various law enforcement contacts they'd made throughout the years, confirming that each man had boarded their flight and all were on their way to Hawaii. It was through those conversations that they discovered their visitors weren't going to be leaving the same way they came in.

" _MI6 has been interested in Omar Harrak for quite a long time_ ," Harry said. " _He's a pilot, can fly most single or double engine planes_."

"Yea? Who trained him?" Steve asked.

" _Why do you think we want him so badly_?" Harry shot back. " _We don't like it when people come to our country for an education only to want to use it against us one day_."

"Yea, well, join the club." Steve walked the perimeter of the house, doing one more check on the cameras as he did. "So, I'm guessing they have a plane on standby at a private airstrip?"

" _They do indeed, reserved for departure at 9:00am your time Wednesday morning. It would seem they don't want to waste anytime. I'll have my friend at the office forward you the information just in case you need it_."

"Thanks, Harry, really, for everything you've done on this."

" _Buy me a beer and some of that wonderful shrimp from your man, Kamekona, and we'll call it even_."

"Sure thing," Steve cleared his throat, trying to frame his mouth to ask the question he'd been wanting to ask for a while now, but Harry, unsurprisingly, beat him to it.

" _Ah, is that the awkward silence settling in before an even more awkward question is asked_?"

"Maybe I was just enjoying the nice breeze."

" _You're as likely to enjoy a 'nice breeze' as I am, old boy. Come on then, you may as well get it over with_." Harry sounded as if he was enjoying this far too much.

"I'm not trying to get in between you two or anything, but the last two phone calls and then yesterday at the palace… I just want to make sure she's okay, Harry, that's it."

" _Well, I wouldn't want to speak for the good lieutenant, but I can speak for myself here, and I can assure you, Steven_ ," Harry's tone turned serious, any playful banter now forgotten, " _my intentions towards her are quite genuine. I enjoyed what little time we spent together last year helping you, and earlier this year I had the opportunity to spend some more time with her. She's quite a woman, Steve. I care about her very much_."

"I know you'll take care of her, Harry," Steve sighed.

" _I don't know what happened between the two of you; Catherine only told me she had to make a difficult choice, but that in the end, it was the right one – for both her and you, even though that decision ended your relationship_."

"She's right," Steve said quietly. "You know, I was going to ask her to marry me about four years ago, and she found out about it after the fact, told me that she would've said yes, but… but when she said that, she was standing on an airstrip getting ready to jet off to another mission and that wasn't a life I could or would follow her in. And I think she knew that. So, yea, she would've married me, but I don't think it would've lasted, and I think she knew that too."

" _I understand_ ," Harry answered, his voice kind. " _I don't know that I'll ever meet her father, but in lieu of that encounter and since you are likely one of the more visible men in her life, I can only promise you that I will treat her with the honor and respect she deserves_."

"I know you will, man, I have no doubts about that." Steve cleared his throat. "Just do me one solid, Harry."

" _Of course_."

"Don't wait to tell her you love her. And don't let her run away from it either."

A noise behind him caught his attention and Steve turned to see Danny making his way across the yard, hands in his pockets as if he were taking a leisurely stroll and not waiting for international criminals to turn up. "Is Khalid doing alright?"

" _He was slightly maudlin when we first arrived, but Catherine took him to see the dolphins this morning and he's much happier now for that_."

"Good. Tell him I'll see him soon, will you? Tell him I love him, and that Danno loves him too," he grinned at Danny as the other man stopped just a few paces from him.

" _I'll do that. The next time I hear from you, I expect these bastards to be trussed up and ready for transport to the nearest prison cell_."

"You got it. Tell Cath I said hi." Steve ended the call and cleared his throat, looking at Danny.

"Did he really used the word scoundrel?"

"You're really going to be commenting on another person's vocabulary choices? Really?" Steve snickered and continued his trek around the property while Danny followed behind.

"So, when this is all over and Khalid is safe, what are you going to do?" Danny asked as they reached the end of the driveway. Steve checked one camera while Danny looked at the other. He didn't fail to notice that Steve was taking quite a long time to answer his question. "You know what I think you should do?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"I think when this is all done, and these guys are caught and on their way to jail, I think you should go to the judge and petition for permanent guardianship over Khalid."

Of all the things Steve was expecting Danny to say, it wasn't that. It made him a little emotional, if he was being honest. "Really?"

"Yea, babe. Really." Danny finished with his camera and walked over to Steve. "You've done so much to keep that kid safe, Steve, but I think he's done even more for you. You love him like he's your own. You actually try not to throw yourself in front of bullets now. You're only driving 15 miles over the speed limit and not 35," he laughed, glad to see that Steve was laughing along with him. "That kid adores you, Steve. And now that you have him in your life, I don't think you can go back to the way you were before."

Steve couldn't help the small smile that lit his face, lifted his heart. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"I mean… what about you and me?"

Danny shook his head. "Not following here."

"You've been there every step of the way with Khalid, Danny, and you have no idea how much that means to me, but if we, you know… pursue an 'us', are you going to be okay with two kids-"

"Yes."

"Danny-"

"Yes, Steve." Danny pressed a hand against Steve's chest. "Yes. What, did you think I'd actually have a problem with that? Khalid's in my life now just as much as he's in yours. Charlie loves him like a brother. Those two are inseparable, hell, even Rachel's taken with him. Steve," Danny stepped up close to him, and it may be giving him a crick in his neck to look up at Steve at this angle, but he didn't care; Steve needed to get this. "There is no scenario where I wouldn't accept you with Khalid. None. No matter what happens with us, whether we get together, stay together, whatever. Whatever happens with us, I will never tell you to abandon that kid. Never."

Steve wanted nothing more than to pull Danny into a hug and keep him there, but he was cognizant that his team, however respectful they were being, were watching, and while he was by no means ashamed of Danny, they needed to have a talk about how public they wanted to be with this development of theirs. He settled for resting his hand over the one Danny currently had on his chest, squeezing the fingers there gently.

"Thanks, Danno."

They finished their perimeter checks and headed back inside. The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent napping, eating, and preparing for what was now a confirmed, early morning visit from their suspects. By eight in the evening, Tani and Junior were headed to Honolulu International, and by 9:00pm, they were settled in the airport's security hub, cameras from every angle, entrance, and exit looking back at them. It was only about an hour before Tani caught movement on one of the screens.

"Hey, I think that's our guy," she looked down at the face sheet in her hand while Junior checked the flight information. "Yep. Karim Rafik Soulhain is on the island." Junior dug out his phone to text Steve while Tani called Jerry, who was sitting in the parking lot of the airport.

"Jerry, Soulhain is on his way out. See if you can get the number of the cab or rideshare he gets into."

" _Copy that_."

Tani hung up the phone, returning her attention to the monitors in front of her. By midnight, they had only to wait on their fourth suspect. Junior called Steve, updating him.

"We only have the one guy left and he's on a flight that doesn't land until 1:30am or so."

" _Alright, good work. Jerry got the numbers of the cabs and the license plate of the Uber that drove our suspects away from their airport. We're working with the companies right now to see where they were dropped off. You and Tani head on back_."

Now, it was nearing 3:00am, the witching hour as Jerry fondly called it through the earpieces they were all wearing. The house was dark. Jerry had been sequestered in a room upstairs in the back of the house, curtains drawn to block the light from his computers as he monitored the cameras and motion detectors all along the property. Adam and Lou were posted at the top of the stairs and across from where Khalid's room would've been, a stop gap just in case their suspects made it up to the second floor. Danny had put a nightlight in the room, the better to entice their prey, and had left the door open.

Downstairs, Junior sat on the couch with a light on watching television, a thin tack vest underneath his t-shirt and a bowl of popcorn at his left hand while flicked through the channels with the remote in his left. Tani lay in wait in the kitchen, crouched down in the entrance way with a clear line of sight to the front door and, if she looked to her left, a view of the living room in which Junior currently lounged. He tossed a grin her way; clearly, he thought he'd gotten the best end of the deal here. Tani rolled her eyes at him.

Last but not least, Danny and Steve were outside, hunkered down in bushes as they waited for the first signs of their intruders.

"What time is it?" Danny whispered. Steve checked his watch.

"3:38am."

"They leave the motel yet?"

"Haven't gotten a text from Duke saying they have," Steve looked down at his phone, which suddenly buzzed in his hand. "Check that." A lone message from Duke read _They're leaving the motel. Follow_?

Steve texted back, _No. Instruct all unmarked units to communicate via Jerry from this point forward until I give all-clear_. Like clockwork, it wasn't long until everyone heard Jerry in their ears.

" _Post Three is reporting a four door Toyota with no plates approaching from the west_."

"Here we go, guys," Steve breathed into his mic and melted back into the shrubbery, Danny doing the same beside him.

" _Post Two reporting same four door Toyota turning onto our street_."

"Junior, you ready in there?" Steve asked.

" _Yes, Sir_."

It was another five minutes before Jerry chimed again. " _Post One reporting same car stopped on the side of the road two houses down from ours. Headlights are off. Suspects making their way out of the vehicle_."

"Armed?" Danny asked.

" _Post One confirms they can make out at least two rifles_."

"Eyes on target," Steve breathed, watching as four figures moved in the distance.

" _Motion detectors at driveway confirm_."

Steve and Danny watched as the group split up, two headed towards the front of the house, the other two headed for the back.

"Be advised, we have two suspects heading for the back of the house," Danny murmured quietly, watching from his perch as the two unsuspecting morons shimmied by him. A few seconds later, Jerry's voice was in his ear again.

" _Motion sensor is going off on the kid's room_."

" _We got it_ ," came Lou's answer.

" _Motion sensor is going off at the front door_."

" _Got it_ ," Tani bit out.

Steve and Danny watched as the two men at the front door jimmied open the lock. "Junior, suspects are attempting entry."

" _Got one suspect down,_ " Lou announced. Upstairs, Lou was currently sitting on one of the men, Michael Omar Harrak, a hand over his mouth as Adam cuffed him. "You want to be real quiet right now, my man," Lou warned. "See, I've got an itchy trigger finger, and it tends to not do so well when there's a lot of yelling and loud noises."

Back outside, Steve leveled his rifle at the two men, still speaking quietly. Beside him, Danny rose as well, a hand on his shoulder letting him know he was right there with him. "Jerry, tell the units to move in now." Steve stepped out of the bushes as he heard Jerry's order flow through his comms. "Hands up, Five-0, do not move!"

Both men startled and immediately moved to aim their rifles towards the voices. Steve and Danny let their bullets fly, and the two men went down in a heap, groaning all the way.

"Danny, Junior, Tani, take care of these guys, we got one more." Steve was racing away from the front of the house and heading for the back just as the last man came around the corner. They collided, Steve managing to stay upright while the would-be kidnapper slipped to the ground on dew covered grass. To his credit, he tried to scramble back up and get away, but Steve was on him, and with more than his usual assertion. He was supremely happy when the guy attempted to land a punch; Steve offered a headbutt in return, and the man finally went down, dazed. As Steve rolled him over and cuffed him, he heard the sirens of HPD units screaming from the street.

"You get one phone call," he muttered to the man, blinking up at him. "Use it to call your people back in Morocco and tell them I can do this for the rest of my life if it means keeping that kid safe." Steve yanked him to his feet, pushing him towards the front of the house where Danny met him.

"You gonna say it?"

Steve furrowed his brow. "Say what?"

"You want me to…" Danny rolled his free hand at the guy.

"Oh, yea," Steve grinned. "Book 'em, Danno."

"I hadn't heard it in a while, you know. I missed it," Danny grinned, taking the perp off his partner's hands and marching him towards an HPD unit.

In the end, three lived, with one of those on their way to the hospital. The other suspect who'd tried to enter the house via the front door and who had been shot by Steve, Danny, and Tani, and had died almost immediately. But holding cells were waiting for the other three, pending the FBI and the U.S. Marshals to take them into custody. The night was giving way to dawn, and after checking on his team to make sure they were okay, Steve took out his phone and texted Catherine.

_10-4 here. We'll come to Maui tomorrow afternoon. Don't tell Khalid_.

By the time everything was wrapped up, it was nearing six in the morning. Tani and Junior were still going strong, as evidenced by their insistence on breakfast at Sidestreet. "We'll even pay," Tani announced, "to give you old timers a break."

"Old timers?" Danny scoffed as he leaned against the Camaro. "I'm 43, rookie. I can stay up all night and pay for my breakfast."

"I feel like that's a statement with a very subtle, dirty message behind it," Tani grinned at him when Danny flushed a bright red in the morning sunlight.

"Remind me to sign you up for the next sexual harassment course."

"If we're getting food, let's get going and get it." Lou headed for his beloved Suburban, opening the driver's side door. "And afterwards, don't plan on seeing me at work until tomorrow morning at the earliest." Junior and Tani piled in with Lou while Jerry rode with Adam. Steve took a deep breath, watching them drive off.

"Steve? You good?"

"Yea, Danno." He smiled at his partner, gripping his hand tightly for a few moments before letting go.  
"I'm good."

**Hawaii Five-0**

"I gotta say, I never thought I'd be back here," Danny ambled along behind Steve at a leisurely pace, hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts as he crossed a wooden bridge leading to the outside restaurant of the resort he and Steve had visited a few years ago. His partner cocked a curious eyebrow. "As nice as this place was, it's got some painful memories for me," Danny elaborated.

"You only sprained your ankle, Danny, okay? It's not like you had a heart attack here or suffered a stroke, or fell from a flight of stairs," Steve gave the man a dubious look over his shoulder. "Besides, we're only here for the night, right? And there's no therapy sessions, no Lorraine, no three-legged races around a ball room." Steve paused for a moment, looking around the outdoor eating area and spotted the trio he was looking for. "Just friends, Khalid, and food," he grinned and started forward, ignoring Danny's grumbling about negative associations with locations harboring traumatic experiences. Steve slipped behind Khalid's chair, the boy talking a mile a minute about something as Catherine and Harry gave him their undivided attention while doing their best to hide knowing smiles behind their hands. Steve slipped a hand over Khalid's eyes. "Guess who?"

"Steve!" Khalid scrambled up to stand on top of his seat and practically launch himself at Steve, his little arms latching around his neck tightly as Danny ambled up from behind. Khalid burrowed his head into Steve's neck, clearly happy to stay just like that for as long as he could. Steve caught the soft look on Catherine's face and moved around the chair to sit down, holding Khalid as close to him as he could. "How ya doing, buddy? Did you have fun? I heard Cath took you to see the dolphins."

While Steve and Khalid caught up, Danny quietly updated Catherine and Harry on the foiled kidnapping attempt. "One died at the scene, the other one's still in the hospital – he's expected to be okay, so he can spend the rest of his life behind bars," Danny shrugged uncaringly; served the creep right as far as he was concerned. "The other two aren't talking."

"Well, I'm sur e between Harry's contacts, the money trail, and everything else in between, you guys will have more than enough to put them away for good," Catherine was answering Danny, but her eyes were on Khalid and Steve. Danny couldn't help but feel a pang of… something. Not jealousy, or insecurity, but something, something he couldn't pinpoint, not yet.

"I'll ask my friends in the region to keep an eye and an ear open for any more activity they hear regarding Khalid or the Hassan family," Harry offered, folding his napkin in his lap and leaning back. Danny didn't miss the way his fingers just barely grazed Cath's forearm. "I imagine the message has been made clear by now that their little plan didn't work."

"Yea, well," Danny cleared his throat, "hopefully they don't try again. I know Steve won't mind reducing their family members and assets little by little, but…" his gaze lingered on Khalid, and once again, Danny was amazed at how resilient children could be. The boy showed no signs of any stress or trauma, completely oblivious as to what had happened over the last few days and recovering from his parents' actions over the last year.

"He's okay, Danny," Catherine reassured him, a kind expression in her eyes as if she knew what was going through Danny's head. "He's a great kid, you know? Considering what he's seen and gone through, if Harry and I hadn't known, I don't think we ever would've guessed."

"Guessed what?" Steve asked, by now having turned Khalid around to sit in his lap, but Khalid was choosing to curl himself around Steve's middle, resting his head on his chest and wrapping his arms as far around Steve as he possibly could, as if he was afraid Steve was going to leave him again.

_He probably is_ , Danny thought to himself.

The rest of the evening went easily, a gentle breeze pushing off of the ocean as dinner was served and a local, easy listening band struck up some tunes for the diners. Danny and Steve both got burgers – "It's still the best burger I've ever had in my life," Steve mumbled around beef and tomato and lettuce; Catherine was rather amused by that – and Harry picked up the tab for everyone. "A thank you for my impromptu destination vacation," he said, sliding his credit card into the money book and handing it to the server.

"So, Steve," Catherine leaned back in her seat, feet propped up on the table while the man in front of her cradled a fast fading child in his lap. "'Still the best burger you've ever had in your life'?"

Danny laughed, shoving fries into his mouth. Steve glared at him.

"Sounds like you've been here before?" Catherine arched an eyebrow. Danny just laughed more.

"I, yea, you know, Danny and I, we had some state mandated training we had to get out of the way, so we decided to just get it all done in one weekend."

" _Training_?" Danny coughed. "I'm sorry, did you say training?"

"It wasn't training?" Cath asked, looking between the two while leaning a little more towards Harry in her seat. "What was it then?"

"Well, long story short, this genius decided that we get our state mandated _therapy_ – not training, but therapy – out of the way for the year at this group retreat that was being held at this resort a few years ago, except," Danny pointed a finger at Steve, "except that, when Super SEAL here saw the words 'Relationship Boot Camp', he didn't read anything else and he signed us up for a weekend that turned out to be a couples therapy weekend."

"I hate you," Steve deadpanned.

"Oh, I don't know McGarrett, I always thought you and Daniel could use a bit of therapy together." It was clear that Harry was enjoying this quite a bit, if the gleeful expression on his face was any indication. "Two blokes who can't stand to be apart from each other need a bit of therapy every now and again, wouldn't you say?"

Maybe it was Steve clearing his throat, or maybe it was Danny's sudden fixation on his plate, but either way, Catherine and Harry, two trained special agents for their respective governments, knew when they'd hit a nerve.

"Hey, he's falling asleep here," Steve motioned to Khalid who wasn't just falling asleep, but was out cold, his breathing deep and even. "What'd you guys do today?"

"Oh, he had a blast," Catherine tossed her napkin on the table. "We had breakfast here so he could talk to the dolphins, and then we went out to the beach for a while, had lunch, we explored the resort grounds a little bit," she smiled softly at her ex. "I'm not surprised he's tired, he didn't have a nap all day."

"Jerry was kind enough to get us a two-bedroom suite. The little tyke has his own bedroom; you can put him down in there if you like," Harry stood up, taking the money book back from the server and signing the check.

"How much is that two-bedroom suite costing the taxpayers?" Danny stood up, not serious at all about the question, and both Cath and Harry knew him well enough to merely smirk at him.

"We thank them for their generosity," Harry stuck his credit card back in his wallet and led the group through the resort and to their room.

"Danny and I are two floors down," Steve said as they entered Catherine and Harry's suite. The former pointed to where Steve could take Khalid and Steve busied himself with getting Khalid out of his day clothes and into his pajamas.

"He really is very good with him," Catherine mused quietly, watching Steve from the living room, and Danny felt that pang of something again. Fear, maybe? Fear that Steve might remember what he could've had, fear that Catherine was missing what she'd used to have. "Yea, he's uh, he's really something," Danny mumbled, taking a seat on the couch while Harry headed off into the bedroom Danny assumed Catherine and Harry were sharing.

"He probably learned everything from you," Catherine sat down beside Danny, who shook his head, rubbing his arms slightly. "Yea, I think he did, Danny. The way Steve was acting tonight? I've seen you behave the exact same way with Grace dozens of times."

"I'd personally like to think he's always had it in him."

"Yes, but you've brought it out." Catherine wasn't going to be budged from her opinion. Danny didn't answer, choosing instead to sit quietly while they waited for Steve.

"Danny, has something happened?"

Danny scratched his throat, going for nonchalant. "What do you mean?"

"You both got pretty quiet downstairs when Harry mentioned you guys not wanting to be away from each other. The last time you came here, you were together for a therapy weekend with a bunch of other couples – I'm assuming you stayed and didn't leave? You actually went through the counseling sessions which were intended for married couples to better their relationships?"

"Yea, speaking of Harry, how are you guys doing?"

"And now you're trying to deflect and change the subject," Catherine grinned. "Steve did mention that I work with the CIA for a reason, right?"

"Yea, he might've mentioned that once or twice." Danny muttered. No matter how Steve felt about it now, that topic was still a sore spot for Danny. It likely always would be, even if his relationship with Steve was sliding more into the romantic side of things. "I think maybe we just don't talk about it right now?"

"Talk about what?" Because of course Steve would have to choose that moment to walk into the living room.

"Nothing. You ready?" Danny stood up, patting his pockets for his room key.

"You don't want to stay and catch up for a while?" Steve peered at him, and Danny was so tempted to say that, no, actually, he was still dragging ass after Five-0's early morning meet and greet with a group of terrorist kidnappers the previous day, and that he very much would like to go to his room and go to sleep. But Steve didn't seem to want to do that, if the teenager-eager-to-stay-out-an-hour-past-his-curfew expression was any clue. Relegating himself to his fate, Danny flopped back down on the couch next to Catherine and waved a hand at Steve, who grinned at him.

Two hours later, it was almost 10:00pm and Danny was curled on the couch down and out for the count while Harry had shuffled off to the master suite with a book and a glass of scotch, leaving Steve and Catherine on the lanai with their beers and conversation.

"Have you heard from Chin or Kono lately?" Catherine leaned forward to set her beer on the table and shook her hair out. "I remember you mentioning Chin was in San Francisco with his own task force."

"Yea, he is. He and Abbey are doing great – they're uh, they're getting married next summer," Steve took a long drink of his beer as Catherine made a note that she really did need to get in touch with Chin to congratulate him herself. "And Kono and Adam?"

"Yea, that uh… that didn't work out as well," Steve pursed his lips, feeling a pang of sadness for Adam. Steve may have been sitting in handcuffs at the time, but Danny had described the conversation he'd had with Adam well enough to understand that Adam Noshimuri had truly been at the end of his tether and may have well been on his way right back into the arms of the Yakuza had Steve not sent Danny with that offer. He'd had a feeling, of course, that Adam would be out of sorts; who wouldn't be after their wife had left them, and not even for another man, but for a mission?

Steve laughed at himself. How similar were he and Adam, falling for women who had both chosen their work over their marriage or relationship?

"Kono left him," Steve said succinctly. "It was rough on him, for a while. But he got through it. Danny helped a lot since he'd gone through a divorce himself. He kind of knew exactly what to say to Adam to keep him going, knew exactly how he was feeling."

"Wow," Catherine breathed. "I didn't expect that, after everything she'd gone through to be with him, to marry him."

"Yea, well," Steve shrugged, wanting very much to get off this topic. It hit too close to home for him, for obvious reasons. "I called Kono, we all did. It hurt her too, I think, to realize that she was going on a path that he couldn't follow her on and that she couldn't walk back. But Adam's okay now, at least he's on the road to it. He's seeing someone, moving on with his life, got a new place."

"Can't help but see the similarities in our situation a few years ago." Catherine offered him a small, apologetic smile. "I really am sorry I hurt you, Steve. I should've told you the morning after Kono's wedding what my plans were."

Steve shrugged. It was over and done with, a four-year-old mistake that they'd both moved on from. "I understand why you did it, Cath. Do I wish you'd have just out right told me? Sure. Would I have been thrilled that the CIA had recruited you and that you'd joined up? Probably not, but it's water under the bridge now, you know? We've both moved on." He gave her a pointed look at that statement. "Speaking of which-"

"Oh, here we go," Catherine laughed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs at the knee. "I was wondering how long you could go without asking."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say!"

"Oh please, Steve; one thing that has not changed over the years is that I know how to read you like a book."

"Alright, okay," Steve set his beer down. "What was I going to say?"

"You were going to ask about Harry."

"No, I wasn't," Steve said. "But since he's the first thing you thought of, it's clear he's on your mind, so…" He felt a warmth spread through his chest as he watched Catherine chuckle and shake her head at him, the familiar, easy feeling he'd felt with her so often returning. "I actually talked to Langford a few days ago when we were prepping the safe house," Steve confessed somewhat sheepishly. "He's a good man, Catherine."

"Yes, he is," she sighed, settling back into her chair as she folded her hands in her lap.

"You like him?"

"I do. Yea, I do," she bit her lip, looking at Steve for a moment. "You know, when you told me that you were going to ask me to marry you, for a little while afterwards, I felt like I'd missed my chance, that maybe I'd made the wrong decision for my career, for my life."

Steve nodded his head. He'd felt the same way, when he'd gone back to his house with a ring in his pocket only to have her tell him she was leaving. "And you don't feel like that now?"

Catherine looked at him for a long moment. "No," she breathed. "I feel like I can have everything now."

"I'm happy for you, Cath." Steve assured her softly, and he was, truly. There wasn't a cell in his body that held any resentment for her now. "I hope you're happy with him."

Catherine's voice was tight as she thanked him, looking over her shoulder into the living room of the suite. "What about you?" She cleared her throat and turned her attention back on Steve, fixing him with penetrating look. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"I, uh…" Steve shifted. "I'm – yes? Kind of? We don't really know right now what we're doing. We agreed to wait until all of this got sorted out." He grabbed his beer, taking a long pull from it.

"Ah," Cath nodded her head, as if she understood completely, "so now that 'all of this' is pretty much over and Khalid is safe, are you and Danny going to talk soon or just push it off?"

Steve had forgotten what the feeling of carbonated liquid shooting up his nose felt like, and he was absolutely certain he never wanted to feel it again as he tried to work out the sudden tight, fizzy feeling from his sinuses. Once he got himself together, he blinked his eyes clear of the moisture and cleared his throat. "Uh…"

"He didn't want to talk about it either," Catherine grinned, enjoying the discomfort of her ex just a little. "You signed yourself and him up for a couples retreat, Steve?"

"I honestly didn't mean to," Steve held up his hands. "I swear, I didn't. And believe me, at the time, talking about sexual compatibility was about the most uncomfortable thing I'd done in years."

Catherine offered him a bemused look. "I can imagine, especially if you two were sharing a room." She watched him quietly. "I'm not wrong, am I; It is Danny?"

"Yea," Steve breathed tightly after a few moments. "It hasn't been long, but… yea."

"I'm glad for you, Steve."

"You too, Cath." Steve quirked the corner of his lips at her. They both settled back into their seats, enjoying the breeze, their drinks, and each other's company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything's winding up nicely, I should say!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a Saturday, neither he nor Danny were on call, and they had a coveted uninterrupted, free night to themselves. To discuss, converse, parlay where they wanted to take this newfound thing of theirs, if anywhere, and how they would handle it if they did, or didn't.
> 
> Steve did. Steve very much did. If someone had asked him if he'd ever consider dating a man, Steve would have told them no.
> 
> And then he'd gone on a date, an actual date, with dinner and fireworks and everything, with Danny. He'd taken Danny home and shared beers and a long chair with him, and by the end of the night, he'd kissed Danny, not once, not twice, but several times. Short kisses, long kisses, quick pecks, long passionate kisses. He'd drank from Danny like he was a fountain, and when they were finally tired and wiped out from their evening, he'd taken Danny upstairs to his bed and done it some more before they'd finally fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little Christmas gift for you folks. I realized while editing what was supposed to be Chapter 14 that it was almost 20K words. So, I split it in half. There will now be 16 chapters (rejoice!)
> 
> Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope the holidays treated you kindly, friends and family were plentiful (or if you don't get along with certain people that it was at least bearable and you didn't catch a charge :D), and that the days leading up to the New Year are festive and bright.

**Hawaii Five-0**

The following weekend was dubbed a special ohana weekend and everyone made their way over to Steve's place on Saturday for a cookout and a day on the beach. Almost 20 people were moving in and out of Steve's house for most of the day, and his floor was covered with toys from the boys, sand tracked inside by Eddie, and food and drinks laying all over the place both inside and out, but Steve couldn't have cared less. Toys and sand and food? That meant Khalid was still here, the house was alive, and that everything was going to be fine.

Sometime in the late afternoon, Steve felt his phone vibrating and pulled it out. Seeing the name on the screen, he announced he was getting more drinks and headed into the house, careful to avoid the little puddles of water Eddie and Charlie and Khalid had left in their wake on the wood floor. "Yes, Governor," he greeted once he was clear of the party outside.

Governor Mahoe's voice was as crisp and no-nonsense as it ever was. " _Commander McGarrett. I understand your team foiled an attempted kidnapping plot earlier this week targeting Khalid Hassan_."

"Yes Ma'am, you got my report," Steve scratched the back of his neck. "One of the suspects died, the other one is awake and still under armed heavy guard at Tripler. The other two are in holding at Halawa."

" _Congratulations, Commander. I assume the boy is safe_?"

"He is, yes Ma'am. He's back at my place and spending time with… the team," Steve cleared his throat. He'd almost said 'family'.

" _That's actually what I was calling about, Commander McGarrett_." Steve felt his stomach go ice cold as she continued. " _Now that the threat to his well-being is over, I wanted to know what your plans were for his long-term care. I seem to remember a rather terse conversation with my Director of Social Services a few months ago when you went around the rule book and put Khalid into protective custody. At the time, I backed your play due to the clear danger that surrounded Khalid if he were to go to an unprepared foster family. But now that that threat has been alleviated, I don't know how long I can_ -"

"I'll be putting in paperwork to be named his permanent legal guardian," Steve interrupted. "Governor, Ma'am… Khalid has become a part of our family, a part of our lives. He's lost both of his parents and been shuffled around more times than any kid should be, especially at his age. He's lived with me, he's comfortable with me, we have a routine, I've enrolled him in school, and we have a support network in place. Due respect to you, Ma'am, and the Director, Khalid's stable and healthy and happy with me. I'd like to keep it that way."

Steve wasn't sure if the dead air on the other end of the line was a good or a bad thing, and he was thinking of other arguments, or, quite frankly, threats he could make when the Governor spoke again.

" _That is what I was hoping you would say_."

"…Ma'am?"

" _I spoke with the Director after reading your report earlier this week, Commander. He is prepared to assign a case worker to Khalid, who will issue a sworn statement to the Court that it is in Khalid's best interests to remain with you, where he has already settled into a life suitable for a child of his age and background. The Director will also write a sworn statement in your support, as will I. Of course, we encourage any friends or family you may have to also send in their own statements to the Court_."

Steve swallowed down the lump of emotion quickly overtaking his throat. It was more than he'd ever hoped for. "Thank you, Governor."

" _You're welcome, Commander. You and your team did an excellent job this week. I am told that the capture of these would-be kidnappers has led to additional intelligence that the U.S. Government will be able to utilize in our efforts to fight international terrorism. Once again, you've made all of Hawaii proud_."

Once the call ended, Steve stood in the middle of the… where was he again? Ah, yes, halfway to the kitchen. He shook his head, hearing the door open behind him as Danny walked in. "Hey, we're getting thirsty out here – everything okay?"

"Yea," Steve beckoned Danny to follow him, even though he felt he was walking towards the fridge in a daze. "That was the Governor on the phone just now."

"Oh," Danny bit his lip looking his partner over, suddenly leery. "It's uh… she wasn't calling to complain about how everything went down this week, was she?"

"No, actually she said that she was really pleased with all of us and how everything shook out. And that she and the Director of Social Services were putting their support behind me and writing letters of recommendation for a judge so that I can be named the legal guardian for Khalid."

"Really?" A wide, bright smile that rarely broke out on Danny's face pushed through.

"Yea. She was talking about how now that Khalid probably didn't need protective custody anymore since the immediate threat was taken care of, she didn't know how long she could stave off the Director's insistence that Khalid go through the system, so I just…you know." Steve shrugged.

"You reached for the first thing you could think of to keep him which was applying for legal guardianship." Danny shook his head, but he was still smiling, still grinning. "I wish I could say that surprised me, but if you hadn't done that, I'd probably be wondering if you'd hit your head or something."

Steve rolled his eyes. "She also mentioned that the feds were able to get some valuable intelligence off those guys."

"Yea? Like what?"

"I don't know, I'll ask her on Monday when we go in, but she said it would help the U.S. with our anti-terrorism efforts, so." He shrugged.

"But in the meantime, Khalid gets to stay," Danny shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Khalid gets to stay." Steve looked at Danny. It struck Danny just how damned happy Steve looked at the prospect.

"Well, you know what that means then," Danny rocked back and forth on his heels a bit, watching fondly as Steve thought, and failed, to identify Danny's meaning.

"No. I don't. Well, I mean, yes, I do, but…" Steve blinked. He was confusing himself in his shocked stupor. "What does this mean?"

"It means you get to experience the joys of Christmas present shopping for a rambunctious, growing weed who will, very soon, I promise you, begin asking you about the aforementioned holiday of Christmas and its meaning and Santa Clause and all the wonderful – Steve. Steven?" Danny squinted. "What's with the face, what? I say something wrong?"

"No," Steve swallowed, his voice rough. "No, Danny, you – Christmas. With Khalid, and maybe Mary and Joanie will make it this year again, and… just, you know."

Danny inched forward until he was standing just a foot or so away from his partner. "Khalid and Mary and Joanie," he nodded, "and me, and Grace, and Charlie, too, if you want us here. Your first Christmas with Khalid, that's pretty special, babe. Rachel and I didn't go anywhere our first Christmas with Grace. I'd understand if you'd want –"

"Danny." Steve's hands were on the other man's shoulders, squeezing gently. "Your place or mine?"

"We still gotta talk about some stuff, Steve," Danny reminded him softly. "We've got some stuff to figure out, don't you think?"

Steve was truly prepared to say something along the lines of 'what's to think about', but he was interrupted by Tani and Junior stepping into the kitchen.

"Whoops," Tani laughed nervously, glancing at Junior. "Sorry, we uh – we're just grabbing drinks. You know, because you guys said you were coming in here to get them and it's been almost ten minutes and we can't drink the ocean." She opened up the door to the fridge and Junior loaded his arms with sodas, beer, and bottles of water before closing it and scuttling back out of the kitchen, leaving Steve and Danny to stare after them.

"Okay, so maybe we take a rain check on this whole conversation," Danny sighed. Steve nodded in agreement, nudging his partners forehead tenderly with his own.

"Agreed."

**Hawaii Five-0**

Everything settled back to normal in the following weeks, or whatever normal was for Five-0. Harry and Catherine had left after the ohana weekend at Steve's, with Catherine giving Steve a tight hug and making him promise that he wouldn't hold back with Danny like he'd done with her. After extracting the same promise from her regarding Harry (because really, neither of them had been stellar in that department), Steve and Danny had seen Catherine and Harry off on a plane to-

"Classified," Danny muttered. "Classified? How can it be classified? They're leaving Hawaii, they just basically had an all-expenses paid vacation, it's not like they're heading back to work immediately. Harry's pretty much retired for crying out loud! Classified." Danny had opened and closed the door of the Camaro with an annoyed slam, and Steve didn't know how Danny managed to make the doors of his house and car slam with tones, but he did.

Khalid was back at school and doing well. Halloween had been the first major holiday he'd experienced and now he was learning all about Thanksgiving, or at least what the mainlanders did on Thanksgiving and why they did it, interspersed with the Hawaiian history of the holiday. His class was currently studying _Makahiki_ , the four-month period between November and February where tribes were forbidden to fight, successful harvests were recognized, and the Gods were thanked. It had been a long time since Steve had heard Makahiki mentioned, but he was enjoying listening to Khalid talk about it, along with the histories of all the different states on the East Coast and how they celebrated Thanksgiving, though Steve had had to stop himself from outright laughing when Khalid attempted to pronounce the names of the Native American tribes (the poor kid just butchered them, but that was alright; Steve would work with him on that). In all honesty, Khalid could talk about the many different kinds of potatoes the world offered, and Steve wouldn't have cared because it all meant that Khalid was still here with him.

That was the most important thing at the end of the day, but right behind it, just beneath it by a hairsbreadth, was Danny.

Steve still hadn't gotten to sit down with Danny yet to talk, to see where they were going to take this newfound attraction they'd discovered they had. It hadn't been anything Steve had really spent a lot of time pondering over; he and Danny were close, that was no secret. And sure, there had been more than a few 'marriage' jokes over the years. Steve had taken them in stride, as had Danny; there hadn't been any reason not to. So what if they were constantly over at each other's houses and Danny's kids called Steve 'uncle'? It wasn't like that scenario wasn't shared in households across America.

And was it really that big a deal if Danny sometimes made pancakes just because Steve asked him to, or let Steve drive the Camaro even though it was Danny's car? And did it really matter if Steve had Danny listed as his emergency contact and had made sure Danny's name was on his file at every hospital on the island, as well as his military file, as the one person any medical information or news could be given to? Danny had done the same with his contact information, so why not? They worked together, were partners in practically every sense of the word. Was it so out of the norm for best friends to spend the weekend together watching football or beaching with the kids or grocery shopping? Was anyone really going to bat an eye at the fact that sometimes they'd shared the same bed?

"Oh my God," Steve muttered, tilting his face in his hands. Lou, who was standing next to him at the smart table, quirked a halfway interested eyebrow. "Hey, if you're gonna be sick, go do that in your own office and not on the very expensive, very important, loaded-with-sensitive-information computer, okay?"

"No, it's fine, I'm alright," Steve sighed, shaking his head to himself as he looked around. It was lunch time. Danny had the day off to look after Charlie who'd caught a cold, and Adam, Tani, Jerry, and Junior had run out to grab a bite at Kamekona's. "Look, Lou, can I ask you a serious question?"

"I don't know, can you?"

Steve blinked.

"Dad-Grammar joke," Lou muttered. "Hit me."

"Alright, so obviously, you guys… everyone here knows that me and Danny… you know?"

"Oh, you mean how everyone knew before you two fools did?" Lou had a good chuckle at that, but it died off looking at Steve's face. "Hey, that's that face Danny calls your Aneurysm Face, right?"

Steve slid a hand down his eyes. "I just – I'm thinking about everything that's happened and I'm going back to all the times that Danny was at my house, with the kids or without the kids; all the times we spent weekends together; all the times we went surfing together or hit up Kamekona's; him making breakfast and me making dinner and everything in between and I'm just trying to figure out did we miss this? Were we always heading for this? I think back to all the stuff we've done over the last ten years – vacations and family get togethers and things not working out with Rachel and Catherine and Lynn and Melissa. And now that we're here and we're talking about this, I'm looking back at everything just thinking to myself and wondering if I was blind or just an idiot that we never… that we didn't..."

"You want to know what I think?" Lou folded his arms over his chest. "I think you and Danny are going to get nowhere real quick if you go back and over-analyze every single moment or period of time spent together trying to figure out if there was something there that you didn't see then. There's something here _now_ , Steve. Why don't you two focus on that instead of trying to figure out what you missed in the past? There's nothing you can do about it now anyways."

Steve slowly nodded his head, Lou's words seeping through and embedding themselves in his brain. "You guys – you know, is everyone okay with this? Me and Danny?"

Lou had a mildly offended look on his face and Steve quickly moved to erase it. "I mean with us working together and maybe possibly being together, in a relationship."

"Look, here's how I look at it. It's the same thing we told Tani and Junior, right?"

Steve nodded.

"They know there's something there. They've decided to act on it, but they also know that when shit hits the fan, their minds have to be on their jobs and on making sure they're putting the team and the public first, and not each other. It's the same rule for you and Danny, Steve. But at the end of the day, your feelings aren't going to change, and honestly, there have been points in the past where I've wondered about the two of you and how close you seemed to be but I never questioned, not for a second, either your or his ability to do the job and put the job first when it had to come first."

Steve let out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, casting Lou a grateful look.

"Thanks, Lou."

"Anytime."

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Thanks again for doing this," Steve followed Rachel into her kitchen while Khalid zoomed his way up the stairs of her house and into Charlie's room. "I know you've got a lot going on with the move and everything and this was last minute –"

"It's no trouble at all, really, Steven," Rachel flashed a smile over her shoulder at him. "Khalid is a such a sweet boy and Charlie loves him. You know he's welcome to spend the night here whenever he likes."

"Yea, uh, thanks," Steve took a breath. "Look, before I go, I just wanted to uh…" Rachel turning to look at him didn't help matters much, and Steve suddenly understood why Danny for so long avoided conflict with the woman in front of him. "Me and Danny," he stuttered out, dumbly, but even as he did, he saw the slight crack of the armor in her face. "When you were at my place a few months ago and you said that we were a family… I didn't – I had no idea at that point what you meant, or what Danny was thinking about or what you'd said to him. I found out later that night, when he came back and explained things."

"Steven, you're asking if I have an issue with you seeing my ex-husband?"

"I… no, I mean, yes, but not –" Steve coughed. Jesus Christ, at this moment, he'd rather be down range in Afghanistan, playing Tic-Tac-Toe with Wo Fat, or watching that God – awful movie he and Danny had taken Catherine and Gabby to see years ago; _anything_ was better than this, right here, with Rachel giving him a fantastic impression of a thousand yard stare that Steve was sure would cow some of the top Team Guys he'd known in SEALs.

"Let's lay all our cards on the table, shall we?" Rachel leaned against the counter. "Yes, I still love Danny. I imagine I always will. There's the old saying that you don't realize what you have until it's gone, and that metaphor could be aptly applied to my situation. Even when I first left Daniel for Stan, within a few months I regretted it. But I'd made my decision, and I did love Stan too – but I think even then, I loved Danny more. I was too proud to admit it and go back to him." She shrugged. "Sometimes love isn't enough. I think Danny and I have proven that enough times. So, yes, Steven, I know you're not trying to make me jealous or purposely uncomfortable or anything of the sort. And no, Steven, I am not jealous or envious; sad, perhaps, disappointed in myself, and in Danny too I suppose, that we couldn't make it work for anything, not even for our children. But I love him enough to let him go, and he loved me enough to break it off this time before things got worse. And, you and I both love our children enough to not let anything that has happened in the past affect them." She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Right?"

"Yea, yes. Right," Steve swallowed. "Our children?"

"You have Khalid," Rachel noted. "And as much as you've done for Grace and Charlie over the years, as much as they love you and you them… I suppose it's not out of the question to dub you Step-Steve from here on?"

Steve winced. "You know, as much as that sounds… uh, nice, I think it sounds so close to Step-Stan that… you know, I wouldn't want to take anything from him."

"No worries there, I've already done that," Rachel shrugged, taking a breath. "Which leads me to my second point; as insane as this may sound and whether you believe me or not, when I made the decision not to tell Danny about Charlie, it was coming from a place of protecting my son and giving him a chance at having a full time father in his life for the whole of his life. I know my decisions have hurt a lot of people, Danny and Stan most of all, but I never wanted any of that. So," Rachel took another breath, looking at Steve, brown eyes wide and seemingly awaiting his judgement. "Anyways, you can pick up Khalid tomorrow whenever you like. I tend to allow the boys to stay up late to watch movies and eat junk food so it's likely they'll sleep until it's rather late tomorrow morning." She moved towards him to walk him out, but Steve caught her gently by the elbow and gathered her into a hug. He wasn't sure if her motivations were entirely pure when it came to keeping Danny in the dark about Charlie, but none of that mattered now. She had lost the chance to have her family back and Danny was getting a brand new one. Steve would've had to have been blind, deaf, and heartless not to see that as good as Rachel was holding it together, she was hurting inside. His heart went out to her purely for that reason alone.

Steve knew what it felt like to have no one; no family, no close friends to turn to, to be completely, utterly alone and isolated emotionally. As badly as Rachel had hurt Danny and as horrible as some of the decisions she'd made had been, she was the mother of Danny's children, and Steve knew Danny still loved her on some level, and likely always would.

"Look, this is obviously really awkward for you, and for me – the whole 'your ex-husband falling for a guy' thing notwithstanding, which, I promise you, we're both – me and him – we're still coming to grips with that, but hopefully tonight will settle some things there," Steve pulled away a bit, pleased that he'd managed to get a short laugh out of her. "Rachel, you're Grace and Charlie's mom, okay? And that means you'll always have a place in my ohana."

"Thank you," Rachel whispered. "You will take care of him, won't you?"

"Always," Steve promised.

After Steve made sure to let Khalid know he was leaving, he left Rachel with one more smile and raced back out to the truck, making it back home in under a half hour. It was a Saturday, neither he nor Danny were on call, and they had a coveted uninterrupted, free night to themselves. To discuss, converse, parlay where they wanted to take this newfound thing of theirs, if anywhere, and how they would handle it if they did, or didn't.

Steve did. Steve very much did. If someone had asked him if he'd ever consider dating a man, Steve would have told them no, and not that he had any problem with that mind, but he liked women thank you very much. He liked that they were smaller than him, that nine times out of ten they were shorter than him and because of that could comfortably rest their heads against his chest while he held them. He liked soft swells of breasts and gentle curves of hips and he absolutely did not mind sinking into a woman who was grabbing (sometimes scratching) for him like she couldn't live without his touch. For his entire life, that had done it for him quite nicely, and he'd been fit to die without ever having gone to the other side.

And then he'd gone on a date, an actual date, with dinner and fireworks and everything, with Danny. He'd taken Danny home and shared beers and a long chair with him, and by the end of the night, he'd kissed Danny, not once, not twice, but several times. Short kisses, long kisses, quick pecks, long passionate kisses. He'd drank from Danny like he was a fountain, and when they were finally tired and wiped out from their evening, he'd taken Danny upstairs to his bed and done it some more before they'd finally fallen asleep.

Putting a pause on their blossoming relationship until Khalid's issue had been sorted out was the right thing to do, and it wasn't as if Steve and Danny hadn't had a few nights on their own since then, complete with stolen kisses and fond looks and at least one time, Steve pulling Danny down on top of him while they laid on the couch just so that he could hold him. Danny hadn't resisted any of it.

Steve busied himself with those thoughts for about two hours while he vacuumed, cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, and the laundry, and swept up the lanai outside, freeing it of twigs and other things. He didn't even notice when it was past 4:00pmand Danny opened the door to the back yard, peering at Steve as if he'd lost his marbles while Steve swept a corner of the lanai with extreme prejudice.

"So, I thought we'd just stay inside tonight, but if you have outdoor plans, okay?" Danny so rarely got the opportunity to surprise Steve, and it gave him more amusement than it probably should've to watch Steve jump about a foot in the air and land while holding the broom in a defensive position.

"Danny," Steve's shoulders slumped once he realized it was his partner standing in his backyard and not an assassin. And really, what did it say about Steve's life that that was where his head went? But could anyone truly blame him? "Jesus, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"If I were it would only be the first in a long line of paybacks for the ones you've tried to give me over the years," Danny grinned as he casually leaned against the door, one hand on the knob while the other was in the pocket of his jeans. Steve blinked; he wasn't sure if it was him or the white t-shirt Danny was wearing, but either way, his partner was looking… well. Good.

_Very_ good.

And Steve was wearing sweatpants and a sleeveless tank.

"Anyways, I was going to order a couple of pizzas…" Danny took a breath, waiting for Steve's judgement on dinner.

"Yea, that's good. Great. Let me just clean up and I'll be back down." Steve set the broom aside and headed into the house and up the stairs to take a quick shower. But even the hot water gave him no peace as he stood under the spray and thought of Danny downstairs waiting for him. In the last month or so, one thing had become painfully clear to Steve; he wanted Danny and he wanted this to work and he was willing to do just about anything to make that happen, and that was exactly what he planned on telling his partner tonight.

Steve switched off the water and grabbed a towel, drying himself off quickly, and pulled on a shirt and cargo shirts. His t-shirt still clung to his chest, but that didn't bother Steve in the least as he gave his hair one last pass over with the towel and dragged a comb through still damp tendrils. He was back downstairs ten minutes after he left Danny and found his partner in the kitchen, playing on his phone.

"I think we should date each other. Like, for a really long time. Seriously date each other." Steve hovered in the threshold of the doorway to the kitchen, feeling as awkward and anxious as he did when he'd asked out Nicole Simmons when he was 15 years old and just discovering that girls actually liked him. Danny was looking at him, blue eyes blinking in confusion until he finally set his phone down. "Okay, you know I had a whole thing planned to say to you, but the fact that you just walked in here and did what I did the night of our first date excuses the very not smooth offer you just made, so you are hereby forgiven."

Steve's brow creased. That didn't sound like a no, but it didn't sound like a yes, either. "Is that good?"

Danny headed for the fridge and pulled two beers out. "We've got about a half hour before the pizzas get here. You want to go outside?"

Danny asked the question as if he were giving Steve a choice, but he wasn't really, because he was already heading out back and was obviously expecting Steve to follow – an easy expectation because that's exactly what Steve did.

"You know," Danny settled into his chair and put his beer on the table next to it. "You remember two years ago when Brooke's ex-husband shot me?"

"I really try not to, Danny," Steve swallowed, already not liking how this conversation was starting off. "What does that have to do with what's going on with us?"

"Because when I was in surgery, you know, I didn't have a whole lot to do but lie there and sleep while they did whatever it was they were doing – you were doing, actually." Danny leaned back, propping a foot up on the opposite knee. "And I had some pretty vivid dreams, hallucinations, whatever it is you want to call them, and practically all of them involved you in some way."

"Me?"

"Yea," Danny smiled at him. "Grace was getting married on your beach and I was in the house. Charlie graduated from the police academy and you were there, of course. I remember we were sitting pretty close to each other – now that I think about it, we should've been holding hands like Tani and Junior were – anyways, the part of the dream I remember the most is us sitting out here just like we are now, going back and forth like we always do. We were old, wrinkly, grey – well you were, I was still pretty sharp. I'm pretty sure I was living here."

A boyish smile broke out on Steve's face and Danny couldn't help but return it. "I never really talked about that with anyone because I didn't know what it meant, if it meant anything, really. Plus, I was on every drug the hospital had in the pharmacy, so I just tucked it away, forgot about it. But obviously with everything going on with us, I remembered them, started thinking about them again."

"And?" Steve hadn't yet touched his beer, too on edge, too wired right now to even contemplate doing anything that took even a modicum of attention away from Danny.

"And I thought, you know, there has to be a reason for that. In almost every single one of my dreams, you were there in some way – I was either at your house, or you were doing something with my kids, or we were doing the restaurant thing, it didn't matter what it was; you were there. When I woke up, I was wondering where you were. That's how invested in that little dream world I was."

"They wouldn't let me back to see you immediately-"

Danny waved off Steve's excuse, wanted to wipe off the chastised look on his face too. "I'm more than familiar with hospital policies by this point, babe," he pointed out gently. "I'm saying, maybe it wasn't the drugs I was on. Maybe it was just what I've always wanted but didn't really let myself think about too much."

"You're saying subconsciously?" Steve asked.

"Yea, subconsciously. I mean," Danny took a sip of his beer and held onto it this time, "it has to be. I never once thought about kissing a guy before, never once thought about sleeping with one either, or being with one for the rest of my life, but like with everything, here you come to take over my entire world and I don't mind it, Steve. I don't mind it at all. I want it because it feels right, more right than with anyone else I've ever been with."

Steve hated himself for asking, but he had to. He had to know. "Even more than Rachel?" He bit out the question but made himself look at Danny as he asked. To his relief, Danny didn't flinch, didn't appear phased by the question.

"Even more than Rachel," Danny assured softly, and Steve felt air leave him, felt his chest deflate monumentally at that confirmation.

"What about you and Cath?" Danny asked. Steve snapped his head up, surprised. "What about me and Catherine?"

"If she comes back, if things don't work out with Harry, if she wants to give things another shot-"

"I'll tell her I'm with you." Steve's voice left no room for doubt. "Cath and I are over, Danny, have been for years. There's never going to be a part of me that doesn't love her, but there's never going to be a part of me that wonders 'what if' with her, not anymore."

"Yea?" Danny's voice was a little rougher than it had been just a few seconds ago.

"Yea." Steve smiled and sat back in his chair, reaching for his beer and finally taking a drink. It was still early enough that the sun was painting the ocean with a gorgeous array of light. Pinks, bright whites, and oranges bounced off the waves rolling towards the shore.

"Do you want to tell the team?" Danny asked.

"We probably should," Steve shrugged. "It's not like they don't know something's up already, you know? And Lou talked to me a little bit too."

"Lou did?" Surprise was written all over Danny's face and his voice. "Lou talked to you about us?"

"Actually, it was more like I kind of had a… an awakening, kind of like your dreams but more, well, awake."

"What kind of an awakening?"

"Just thinking about everything we've done over the last ten years we've known each other. All the time we spent together, the weekends we spent together, with the kids and without. One of us making breakfast, the other figuring out dinner, me driving your car all the time, you picking me up in the morning," Steve laughed, looking down at the bottle hanging from his hands between his legs. "Even sharing a bed the few times we have and not feeling any kind of awkwardness about it. I just – you know, I asked him if I'd missed something, if you and I had just deliberately missed this for years for whatever ever reason."

The hypothesis was an interesting one. Danny knocked it around a bit, searching for an answer before shrugging. "Does it really matter now?" He asked, twisting his body towards Steve a little bit. "We're here, now. We know, now. Steve, I spent so many years questioning every move I made when I was married to Rachel. I went through everything over and over again, trying to find a way that I could've saved our marriage, saved our family, and in the end, I never found any answers and I only wound up driving myself crazy."

"Funny," Steve chuckled. "Lou said basically the same thing."

"Did he?" Danny grinned. "I always liked Lou. He's a smart guy, questionable taste in pizzas, but…" He shrugged, taking a long drink of his beer and stood up, looking at his watch. "Speaking of which, dinner should be here soon."

"Did you want to go anywhere?" Steve stood up as well, following Danny back towards the house. "I didn't really plan much past the talking part, but we could go out, you know, after dinner if you wanted. Again."

"I was planning on eating some pizza, drinking some beer, and staying in really," Danny turned around in the threshold of the doorway, watching as Steve continued towards him. "A night in can be fun in its own ways too, you know?"

Steve watched as Danny turned away, a smirk on his face that Steve didn't know his partner could make and cleared his throat, following him inside dutifully.

Nights in could be very fun indeed.

**Hawaii Five-0**

November passed at a fast clip with cases and liaising with HPD so many times the team almost lost track with which one of them was assigned to which case. The holidays always brought about an uptick in crime, but even the veteran taskforce members had to admit that the last few weeks had been ridiculous. When Thanksgiving week finally came, everyone decided to work around the clock through late Wednesday evening to get through the final reports and paperwork, and by 8:00pm that night, there wasn't one member of Five-0 who wasn't dragging their feet to their cars.

"None of you are going to see me until next Monday," Lou muttered, but he did offer at least a half wave in everyone's general direction before he sped out of the parking lot.

"We'll be by tomorrow afternoon sometime, Steve," Adam passed Steve as he headed for his car. "Tamiko's looking forward to it."

"I'm looking forward to it, too," Jerry grinned, hovering on the passenger side of Adam's car. "Kamekona's bringing his latest dish for us all to try and if anyone's interested once we're in a food coma, I've got some awesome documentaries on secret space departments in the world that have gotten a lot further than any of us realize when it comes to space travel and meeting alien species."

Adam blinked. So did Steve. Danny was tired and opened his mouth. "Well, if no one's in a coma by the time you put that stuff on, we will be," he grunted, slipping into the Camaro and shutting the door.

"That's my queue," Steve snickered. "See you guys tomorrow." He slipped into the driver's side of the car and was soon pulling out of the palace parking lot, heading for home. It wasn't long before he saw Danny giving him a sidelong glance that lingered far longer than Steve was comfortable with. "What?"

"You sure you're fine with Rachel coming over for Thanksgiving?"

Oh, good God, this again. "Yes, Danny, I'm sure I'm fine with Rachel coming over tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I was sure the other 26 times you asked me too, so I hope the 27th time really sinks in for you."

"Okay, alright, okay, fine," Danny held up a hand in defense. "I'm just making sure."

"It's not like Rachel hasn't been over to my place with everyone before, Danny. Remember Gracie's homecoming? That was, like, a month ago. Everything was fine then, you didn't have a problem then, so what's wrong now?"

"You and I weren't making out and sleeping in a bed together regularly then," Danny answered simply.

"Yea, okay, but me and Rachel… you know, we're fine. We talked. We're good."

"You talked to my ex-wife?" Even with the sporadic streetlights that passed over head, Steve had no trouble seeing the shocked look on his partner's face. "When did you talk to Rachel?"

"That Saturday when I dropped Khalid over at her house to spend the night so you and I could talk." Steve turned onto the highway, looking over at Danny again once they were off the ramp and on the straight way. Danny was doing a fairly good impression of what Steve imagined was his own version of Aneurysm Face. "Why do you look like you're constipated right now?"

"I do not look constipated right now. I don't take your faces, okay, your faces are your own."

"Okay, Arya Stark," Steve snickered.

"What could have possibly possessed you to talk to Rachel about us!?"

Steve sighed. "I wanted to make sure that she knew I wasn't trying to rub the fact that you basically left her for me in her face, alright?" They passed another streetlight and Steve could see Danny absorb that statement, but knew another question was following hot on its heels.

"Why would she even think that? Did she say that?"

"No, she didn't say that, but I wanted her to know that I understood how awkward it probably is for her to be around me right now, to maybe be around you, with us actually giving this a shot. It threw me for a loop realizing that I could actually enjoy kissing you, and I'm sure she was just as confused and maybe hurt and questioning herself. I know what that's like, to question why you weren't good enough for someone to stick around-"

"Hey, she left me first, not the other way around!"

"That's not – listen, I know, she kicked you out first, I know that, I get that," Steve soothed Danny, or at least tried. "But this time, you ended things, Danny, you know? And I'm not complaining about that, believe me; I'm not. You ended it, and it was the right thing that you did, but even if she's the one who sort of opened our eyes up to this possibility, she probably didn't think it would happen this quick. Hell, I didn't know until you told me on the beach that night. And she just… I could tell she was hurting. I know what that feels like, Danno, okay? I know what it feels like to feel like you have no-one – whether she's justified in feeling like that, right now it doesn't matter. She's your kids' mother, and just like I'll always care about Catherine and answer her call in the middle of the night, I know you'll do the same for Rachel, because you still love her."

Danny didn't answer, or at least, he didn't verbally answer. Between looking at the road and searching his face though, Steve could see Danny's expression appeared to be one which combined exasperation, understanding, wonder, and amazement. Maybe.

Possibly.

It could also be that Steve just couldn't look at him for very long to decipher Danny's face without driving into another car or a telephone poll.

"Okay." Danny deflated and sat back a little easier in his seat.

"Okay?"

"Yea, okay." Danny nodded. "That makes total sense what you said. I didn't know you two had talked since you and I had decided to, you know," Danny rolled his hand, "and I didn't want it to be awkward for you or her or the kids."

"S'not going to be awkward. I promise."

"Okay," Danny looked out of his window at the palm trees and homes that zoomed by. "As long as you're sure."

"Danny, I _swear to God_."

**Hawaii Five-0**

As it turned out, Thanksgiving went off without a hitch, even if Danny and Rachel disappeared for about 20 minutes to talk privately. Steve found them in the garage, Rachel leaning against his beloved Mercury with Danny right next to her, their backs to the door so they couldn't see Steve checking on them. Steve left them to it, choosing to focus on the kids and his friends until he saw Danny and Rachel pop into the living room again. They were smiling and talking, and when Steve caught Danny's eye, Danny subtly nodded that everything was alright. Steve inwardly breathed a sigh of relief; the night wouldn't be awkward after all.

Steve had brought the long table out which stretched from the study into the living room and which was covered with every kind of food imaginable. "There's no way we're going to eat all of this," Tani said, staring at the massive turkey as she sat down at the table, Junior beside her. "I mean, I know you're going to give it your all, but seriously, Junes; I'm going to be rolling you out McGarrett's door when we're finished."

"As long as I'm able to get out the door somehow, I'm okay with that," Junior flashed her a grin and began helping himself.

"Okay, well, just keep in mind, you don't live on the first floor of your building and I am neither carrying you nor rolling you up the stairs to your apartment."

Khalid and Charlie (sitting right next to each other because of course), stomachs small as they were, actually wound up eating a fair amount to the point where Rachel had to call a halt to Charlie reaching for another round of mashed potatoes. "Charlie, why don't you and Khalid let what you've had settle for a bit, hmm? If you're still hungry, this will all still be here – everyone brought enough food to feed an army."

"Navy," Steve automatically joked before clearing his throat and offering Rachel a tentative grin.

"Nah, no, she got it right on the first try. It's the Army, Rache, don't let him fool you," Danny may have been joking with Rachel, who was sitting on the other side of Grace, but his eyes were for Steve as he needled his partner. "He hasn't admitted to it yet, but he's secretly a grunt."

"Hey, hey, hey, not in front of the kids with that kind of language, huh?" Steve nearly made to cover Khalid's ears.

"That, and Commander McGarrett didn't serve in Vietnam," Jerry pipped up helpfully. At Danny's blank stare, Jerry elaborated. "Grunt is actually a nick name for someone who served in the Army during the Vietnam War. McGarrett was in diapers at that point."

"Actually, I wasn't even born at that point. Don't age me, man, come on," Steve nudged Jerry with his elbow. It was, of course Charlie who asked the million-dollar question.

"Uncle Steve, when were you born?"

"1976," Steve confirmed.

"Wow… you're old, S'eve!" Khalid giggled. Charlie giggled. Danny outright laughed.

"Hey, I don't know what you're laughing about, buddy, you were born the same year as me," Steve tossed a partial dinner roll at Danny, who caught it in his hand and gobbled it down.

"Boys, really, throwing food?" Rachel rolled her eyes, but there was no real annoyance in her tone or face; more so fondness than anything else. "Steve, will you need help cleaning up? Putting anything away?"

Steve had said no, but Rachel had ignored him and, with Danny's help, found the Tupperware and began pulling things from the table that no one else wanted. "Grace, come and help me with the dishes, please," she called when she was finished wrapping everything up. Steve made to intervene, but Danny's hand on his arm stopped him. "Just let her be, babe," he murmured. "More for her to get a breather from everything and do something helpful at the same time."

"Is she okay?" Steve ducked his head speaking softly to Danny, who just nodded. "She's fine – she will be fine. We'll talk later when everyone's gone home."

"Okay…" Steve felt a pinch in his gut. "Danny, are… are we okay? You and me?"

"Yea, Steve. We're good. We're okay. There's nothing to worry about, I promise." Danny smiled and plucked the front of his partner's shirt affectionately before Charlie took his attention away and everyone moved into the living room to give their stomachs a rest before dessert, which was apple and pumpkin pie, along with Tani's Hawaiian Apple and Pineapple crumble, which Danny swore up, down, and center that he wouldn't willingly touch. "That's just wrong," he muttered, settling on the sofa beside Grace while Steve practically collapsed on the other side.

It wasn't long before the boys were asleep, propped up next to each other on floor in front of the recliner where Jerry sat. Steve could see Grace was fading fast. Rachel hid a yawn with her hand. "Danny, would you pick Charlie up for me? I'll go ahead and take him home."

"Take food with you, please," Steve begged. Rachel laughed. "You have a growing boy, Steven. I think you'll miss it if I take any."

"You have Charlie," Steve pointed out. "No way are me and Khalid going to eat all of that. We need the help. Take some." He managed to drag himself up and off the couch and into the kitchen to pick out some containers for Rachel to take with her and came back into the living room putting them in a plastic bag. Danny was taking Charlie out to the car while Rachel was busy waking Grace.

"She can stay here if she wants, Rachel," Steve offered. "She has her room – well, _a_ room," he cleared his throat as Rachel looked at him, surprised. "You know, I have three bedrooms and Khalid and Charlie have been sharing one and I wanted her to have a spot to crash when she stayed the night, so I converted Mary's old room." Aware that Tani, Jerry, and Junior were watching, however food comatose they might be, Steve shifted his stance a bit nervously. "I uh, I hope that's okay?"

"It's fine," Rachel said after a few moments, her voice tight, but there was the hint of a smile on her face. "It's fine. It's perfect, of course. Thank you, Steven." She took the bag from him and offered her goodbyes to everyone else sacked out on the floor before heading out the door, passing Danny on the way, who stood in the doorway watching until Rachel pulled out of the driveway.

"Okay," Tani reached over and halfheartedly smacked Junior in the side. "We've got to go. Now. If I don't go, I'm sleeping right here."

Junior hopped up, smirking down at her. "Should I start rolling you now, or can you walk?"

"Smartass," Tani grumbled, taking the hand he offered her and getting to her feet. Jerry did the same and they made their way to the door, begging off Steve's insistence that they take food home with them as they said goodbye, making their way to their respective cars. One by one, Steve watched them leave and finally, with a content sigh, shut the front door and leaned against it. A lazy smile graced his features. "I don't even want to go up the stairs right now," he laughed, nevertheless making his way to Khalid who had curled himself into the base of the chair now that Charlie was no longer next to him. He lifted the boy carefully into his arms and Khalid hardly stirred, only so much to settle his head comfortably on Steve's shoulder. Telling Danny he'd be right back, Steve made his way carefully up the stairs and tucked Khalid in and about five minutes later, after making sure he was still out and not likely to wake up, Steve puttered back down the steps and into the kitchen where he found Danny poking around in the fridge.

"So," Steve cleared his throat, looking at the profile of Danny's body since his head was in the fridge. "Are you planning on staying here tonight?"

Danny emerged from the fridge with two beers and handed one of them to Steve, who opened it with the bottom of his shirt, but didn't take a drink; his stomach was saying 'no' to anything else at the moment. "I thought I would, yea," Danny's eyes danced towards the kitchen door, and Steve understood that his partner wasn't looking at him but was gesturing towards Grace. "Figure I'll take the couch once she wakes up."

"The couch?" Steve's forehead scrunched. "Why the couch, Danny? She has her own room and you can, you know..." He motioned above his head towards his room. And his bed. And his emphatic desire for Danny to be in both.

"We haven't exactly told her about this," Danny gestured between him and Steve. "I don't want to just spring it on her when she wakes up in the morning you know? She comes out of her room and she sees me coming out of your room and immediately she starts peppering me with questions. I want to sit down with her first, explain what's going on." He motioned towards the backyard and, after checking on Grace to make sure she was still asleep and finding Mr. Pickles curled up against her stomach, Danny and Steve headed out into the backyard, Eddie on their heels, leaving the back door ajar.

"Are you and Rachel okay?" Steve asked, once they were settled in their chairs. The ocean tide was rolling gently against the shore and Danny let its sound fill the air around him while he mulled his answer.

"Yea," he finally breathed. "We're okay. I'm okay, at least. She… will be, I think. It's just hard," Danny looked down at his bottle. "I don't regret anything you or I have done over the last month. It's weird because I feel more comfortable with you even though there's a higher chance I'm gonna die if I'm around you-"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Drama queen."'

"-and I'm regularly subjected to name calling and crazy shenanigans," Danny managed a bright grin at him that Steve could see even in the dim light. "But I like what we've got so far, Steve. I want to see where we go."

"Me too," Steve answered softly.

"It's just hard watching someone who you know still loves you realize that they can't have you anymore. You were right; no matter what Rachel's done to me, I'm always going to love her. I'm always going to care about her and want to protect her and it sucks I can't protect her from this, that I'm the one making her feel so…" Danny shook his head. "But I can't be with her. I don't want to be." He lifted his gaze, holding Steve's. "Not anymore."

"You've mentioned that a few times."

"I need to make sure you believe me."

"I believe you, Danny," Steve assured him. "You've never lied to me." He waved off his partner's protest that yes, in fact, he had lied to him, fairly recently too. "That was different. You told me you were going to Jersey, yea, and you really went off island with Rachel, but I get it, Danny. I do. I understand, and we talked about that." Feeling a vibrate in his pocket, Steve fished his phone out. "Trust me, on the level of lies that people in my life have told me? That barely rates a two." He frowned at the screen, not recognizing the number, but was fairly certain he distinguished the country code from the dozens he'd had programmed into his head over the years. He swiped right and put the phone to his ear. "McGarrett."

" _Good evening, Mr. McGarrett. My name Aleena Hamedi. I am Azra's sister_."

"Uh…huh, Azra who?" Steve glanced at Danny when his head shot up.

" _Azra Hassan, Mr. McGarrett_."

Steve was filled to the brim with turkey, pie, and beer, and so, against his will, his response was something like, "Why are you calling? Planning another raid to take Khalid back?"

Even Danny winced.

" _I can assure you, Mr. McGarrett; neither I nor my husband had anything to do with what took place earlier this month_." The woman sounded earnest, sincere. Steve flipped the phone onto speaker, allowing her only slightly accented voice to fill the space between him and Danny. " _In fact, we were furious when we heard_."

Steve decided not to argue the point. "Why are you calling – I'm not even going to ask how you got your hands on my number-"

" _That would probably be for the best_ ," a laugh traveled underneath her statement. " _Mr. McGarrett, I am coming to the United States – to Hawaii – in two days' time. I would like the opportunity to meet with you_ -"

"Yea, that – that didn't go so well the last time, you know?" Danny pipped up, leaning forward. "We've already been down this road-"

" _I assure you, my intentions are pure_." Aleena cut in. " _I can meet you wherever you like. I only ask for an hour or so of your time. I will come alone. Should you feel the need, I have no problems whatsoever facing anyone else you deem necessary to be there_."

"For what?" Steve didn't bother to hide the confusion in his voice. "You understand, you have connections to the people who tried to kidnap your nephew? Do you get that I can arrest you as soon as you step off the plane and detain you for questioning as a potential co-conspirator? Not to mention the FBI, the CIA, I'm sure they'd love to talk to you -"

" _I do_ ," Aleena answered smoothly. " _But I do not believe that you will_."

"Oh yea? Why is that?"

" _Honor. Compassion_."

Danny knocked his head from side to side a bit. "You do have those in spades, babe," he pointed out.

"What do honor and compassion have to do with this?" Steve pointedly ignored Danny. He needed to.

" _You took in my nephew when his mother and father tried to kill you, and did kill someone very important to you_ ," Aleena answered quietly. " _And I am promising to come alone. I will not even have my detail with me, a decision which has not made my husband entirely happy, I can tell you_." The ocean clapped in the background. " _I do not believe you would hold an unarmed woman captive who is traveling to you of her own free will with the objective of bringing peace to this situation. And I think you will very much be interested in what I have to say, and what I can give you_."

"Yea?" Dubious Steve was dubious. "What can you give me?"

" _Khalid's security and safety_."

Danny scratched at his chin, watching Steve, knowing what his partner was going to say before it even came out of his mouth.

"Call me when you land." Steve hung up.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “ _I don’t like this_ ,” Tani muttered, peering at Steve through her binoculars. In the car beside her, Junior sat quietly, keeping an eye out around the perimeter of the park. “ _This thing has ‘set up’ written all over it_.”
> 
> “ _Well, we’ll know if it is if she shows up with an entourage or if we spot a bunch of strange guys hanging around for no good reason that don’t exactly look like they carry the Aloha spirit_.” Danny’s voice came through the comms. Junior snorted.
> 
> “ _No offense, Sir, but you don’t really carry the Aloha spirit most of the time_.”
> 
> “He’s got you there, Danny.” Sitting on a bench in quiet, small Walker Park, Steve couldn’t help but grin at his partner who was parked on a bench parallel from him just a few yards away on the other side of the green space. Rather than verbally respond, Steve found himself on the receiving end of a particularly vulgar hand gesture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I make no apologies for the devious cliff hanger at the end of the previous chapter :D

**Hawaii Five-0**

" _I don't like this_ ," Tani muttered, peering at Steve through her binoculars. In the car beside her, Junior sat quietly, keeping an eye out around the perimeter of the park. " _This thing has 'set up' written all over it_."

" _Well, we'll know if it is if she shows up with an entourage or if we spot a bunch of strange guys hanging around for no good reason that don't exactly look like they carry the Aloha spirit_." Danny's voice came through the comms. Junior snorted.

" _No offense, Sir, but you don't really carry the Aloha spirit most of the time_."

"He's got you there, Danny." Sitting on a bench in quiet, small Walker Park, Steve couldn't help but grin at his partner who was parked on a bench parallel from him just a few yards away on the other side of the green space. Rather than verbally respond, Steve found himself on the receiving end of a particularly vulgar hand gesture.

" _Heads up, Steve_ ," Lou, parked in his SUV with Adam sitting passenger, watched as a car drove by them. " _The vehicle Jerry saw Aleena Hamedi get into at the airport just passed by_."

" _Did she look like she was by herself_?" Danny asked.

" _Windows were tinted, couldn't tell_ ," Adam responded as he got out of the car, Lou following his lead. " _We're on foot, Steve_."

"Alright, hang back for a little bit. Let's see if she keeps her word."

" _Sure, we'll just let her walk right up to you and clock you over the head or shoot you_ ," Danny muttered, " _we'll have it figured out by then for sure_."

"One can only hope," Steve sent back good naturedly. Steve was used to Danny's acerbic tone when he did things Danny deemed irrevocably insane.

" _Of course you'd say that_."

"Danny, I know this is risky, but if Aleena Hamedi is actually on the level and she's here for the right reasons, if she can guarantee Khalid will be left alone, I can't pass that up. What would you do to make sure Gracie and Charlie were safe?"

" _Low blow_ ," Lou uttered.

" _I'm not talking to you anymore_." Danny grumbled in response.

"Well, that's good, because her car just pulled up." Steve sat a little straighter, watching as the door to a non-descript black Town Car opened and a short woman with dark brown hair stepped out. Every inch of clothing the woman wore was designer brand and expensive, just as Azra's style had been, and her stride was as confident and poised as if she were a queen. Steve saw the moment Aleena clocked him, and after bending her head down to say something to the driver, she strode purposefully his way, a large, beige handbag slung over her shoulder. She was a petite thing, but Steve could see the mission in her eyes as she approached.

"Mr. McGarrett?"

She looked like Azra, Steve thought, deep brown almost black hair and chocolate eyes, definitive cheeks and plush lips, but not as grizzled, or as haunted. She was younger certainly, at least by ten years if Steve had to guess. He held out a hand. "Ms. Hamedi?"

"Aleena, please." She shook his hand gently. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me. I realize my call must have seemed rather out of place given all that's happened."

"It definitely had me questioning some things, and my team too."

Aleena nodded, quirking her lips upwards just a bit. "I assume they are here?"

"Yours isn't?" Steve countered. Aleena shook her head.

"No. They are at the hotel checking in and unpacking." She reached into her pocket, holding up what looked like a chit no bigger than her palm. "I do have a panic button, but other than that, none of them are here." She sized him up quietly. "I do not believe I will be needing it though. I hope I am right in that assumption?"

After a few moments of consideration, Steve indicated the bench next to him. "I've heard of protective husbands before, but a panic button?"

"Azra had one too," Aleena smiled, placing the chit back in her pocket and smoothly sitting down, crossing her legs at the ankle. "When you marry into the families we did, when you live where we live and associate with the kinds of people we do, it becomes a necessity."

"Kinds of people like international criminals and terrorists?"

"Some, yes," Aleena answered simply. "My husband is working very hard to change that facet of our lives. Since Omar is in prison and my and Azra's brother is dead, everything has fallen onto Malek's shoulders. He never cared for the illicit side of life. So, he has been attempting to legitimize our families' holdings, both on his side and mine. It has been a slow process, but little by little, we're doing it."

Steve nodded, looking around, catching Danny's gaze. "Why are you here?"

"To apologize for my sister's actions towards you. I understand she is now in a prison on the mainland?" Steve nodded. "I have spoken with her a few times she was moved from here." Aleena swallowed. "I know it likely does not matter to you, Mr. McGarrett, but when Omar was arrested and sent away, Azra took it very hard. She described the day Omar was arrested – it all sounded incredibly frightening and traumatic."

"Not just for her," Steve pointed out.

"No," Aleena tilted her head, "for all involved. At any rate, I believe shortly thereafter she suffered a mental break. I noticed she was keeping to herself often, secluding Khalid from the rest of the family. Eventually, she took him out of school and hired a private tutor for him, one vetted by our people. And this went on for months until she came to me one day and said that she wanted to make things right. She told me she would take Khalid on vacation and that one of the places she would visit would be this place, so that she could apologize to you for what her husband had done to your mentor last year. Azra said she wanted to end the cycle." She pursed her lips. "Clearly, she didn't do that. You may not believe me, but I had no idea she would do what she did, Mr. McGarrett. She had her son with her. Khalid was – _is_ – her life's blood. She would do anything for him. If I had known that she was unwell, I would have found a way to keep her from coming here and doing what she did."

Steve felt Danny's eyes on him, knew that his partner and the rest of his team could hear everything through the wire he was wearing. He took a breath, relaxing a little. "S'not your fault, Aleena. You're not responsible for Azra's actions."

"No. But she is of my family, and my family owes you an apology and recompense for what she did, and for what Omar did, what he took from you. I am truly sorry, Mr. McGarrett. I know I can't ever give you back what was taken away, but I hope that in time, you will be able to forgive the transgressions of my sister and brother-in-law."

The silence stretched from seconds, into long moments, and then into minutes until Steve finally lifted a hand and waved towards Danny. "You can call me Steve," he muttered, looking over his shoulder and waving towards Tani and Junior in the car. Aleena watched him, perfectly plucked eyebrows furrowed until Danny came into her view. "Your people?"

"Yea, this is my partner, Detective Williams," Steve stood, stretching his legs as Danny ambled up.

"We good?"

"Yea," Steve gestured to Aleena, introducing her. "The rest of them are around."

"I am happy to meet them all if you wish," Aleena stood up, tucking her purse to her side.

Steve had other ideas. "On the phone, you mentioned guaranteeing Khalid would be safe; what'd you mean by that?"

"Omar and Azra had named Malek and myself as the guardians of Khalid should anything ever happen to them. When they were taken into custody, we instructed our lawyers to work with your State Department to begin the process of expediting Khalid's return to Morocco, but we ran into problems in doing so, namely that you had placed a protective order on him and he was to remain in the custody of the State of Hawaii until further notice." The implication was so blatant, one would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to miss it.

"Wait a sec," Danny slowly turned to look at Steve. "That day you mentioned calling ICE and your buddy at the state department… are you telling me that you pulled strings with your friend to get State to slow walk any request or inquiry about Khalid's custody and eventual placement?"

"I was Navy Intel and a SEAL for years, Danny, I worked with the CIA. I picked up a contact or two and they owed me favors."

"Unbelievable."

"You were saying?" Steve looked at Aleena, who, like every person in the world, good or evil, criminal or saint, who had never been exposed to Steve and Danny together, was doing a remarkable impression of a curious racoon.

"Yes. I was saying what with the attempt made, such as it was, to bring Khalid back, it is clear that we have not fully stamped out Omar's loyalists in the family. There are still those willing to perform rogue operations without regard for the consequences of those actions." Aleena reached into her purse, pulling out a folder thick with papers and holding it out for Steve to take. "I have known Khalid all his life. He is a very sweet and sensitive child. He has suffered enough."

"What are those?" Danny asked the question even as he was peeking over Steve's arm to read as Steve flipped through the pages.

"They are documents drawn up by our family lawyer. The most important one is the contract which Malek and I have both signed indicating that we, as Khalid's legal guardians in Morocco, wish for him to remain with Mr. McGarrett until he reaches his 18th birthday."

Steve almost dropped the folder. "What?"

"It is not safe for Khalid in Morocco, Mr. McGarrett, much as it pains me to admit that fact. As long as there are those in our circle who would defy my husband, as long as there are those who are still fighting him for power over the families' assets and resources, I cannot guarantee Khalid's safety there." She swallowed. "But I think that I can guarantee it _here_ , with you. You've watched over him since my sister brought him here. You utilized your network to keep him with you for at least this long. Now, if you do not wish to keep Khalid, I will take him back with me to Morocco and I will do what I can to protect him there, but under the circumstances, I think you would agree that it would be best if he remained here where he has the chance to be a child and grow up healthy and happy."

Steve was still stroking out, and the rest of the team was making their way over, so Danny took that moment to ask a question. "What makes you think Khalid would be in danger if you took him back to Morocco?"

"I do not think, Detective Williams; I know," Aleena assured him. "When my father died, our brother became heir to my family. When my brother died, Omar took over the business dealings of my father since his only son passed-"

"This brother, this is the one who used the same morons who tried to take Khalid to kidnap those kids from Jordan during an election a few years back?" Danny pinned her with a look; Aleena, shocked that he had that information, recovered relatively quickly. "Yes, that was him. When Omar was arrested earlier this year, everything fell to my husband. Obviously, that caused some friction between some of the other male members of my and Azra's family; they felt they should lead, take over the holdings, run the businesses. But the power line is very clear. In marrying me, Malek has first rights if my father, brother, and my older sister's first husband either pass or fall out of favor." Hearing the scuff of a boot behind her, Aleena looked over her shoulder, suddenly surrounded by all of Five-0.

"I see. You guys got your own little _Game of Thrones_ going on here," Danny stuck his hands in his pockets and nudged Steve. "You alright?" All he got was a nod; Steve was busy thumbing through the documents, digesting their contents as quickly as he could.

"Technically, as of this moment, since Khalid is Omar's son, he has rights to everything, but he's too young. However, if he should return he would be granted all of Omar's holdings and businesses. Some people, like those who are loyal to Omar, hired the four who came here a month ago to take him back for that very purpose. Others who are not loyal to Omar or to my husband would've seen that as an opportunity."

"An opportunity for what?" Tani asked.

Adam, however, picked up on the implication. "To remove an obstacle," he nodded understandingly at Aleena. "The Yakuza were known to do the same. Not our family, but other families."

"You are Yakuza?" Aleena's already large eyes widened some more. "And yet you are with the police?!"

"I'm not with them anymore," Adam assured her, and she seemed to calm at that revelation. "But I grew up in that environment. I can understand exactly where you're coming from, and your fears for Khalid."

"I take this, I take you up on your offer here, and what happens?" Steve held up the folder, bringing Aleena's attention back to him. "No one comes after Khalid again?"

"No, I can't promise you that. I wish I could. I can only promise you that neither myself or my husband will attempt to take Khalid back in any way – legal or otherwise. These papers have been copied and everyone in our family has been informed of our decision and what our expectations are going forward."

"So, what happens if someone in your family doesn't listen to you?" Lou asked. "If they're not doing what you say now-"

"We will _make_ them listen," Aleena's tone gave no room to argue. "They will have no choice. This is our decision to make, and we have made it."

"And if someone decides to challenge your decision, what then?" Junior asked. The woman's answer was so simple and matter of fact that Steve defied anyone gathered not to feel the shiver that must have went down their spines.

"Then it will be the last challenge they make." With that haunting promise, Aleena turned to Steve. "I will do my part in ensuring no one else in our family comes here for Khalid again. All I ask is that you continue to care for him as you have done for these last months. We will of course support you financially as well-"

Steve held up a hand, almost offended by the offer but knowing that it came from the kindest of places, out of a sense of familial duty that Middle Eastern families were known for. Well, most of them, at any rate. "That won't be necessary. The Governor's already working with a few people in our government to ensure Khalid is allowed to remain with me. I love that kid," his voice softened. "Anything he needs or wants, I'll provide him."

"Thank you," the relief from Aleena was palpable, which made the following hesitation odd when she asked, "Khalid is doing well? He is happy here? He has friends?"

"Yea, yea, he uh… he's real good. Really popular at his school, he's made lots of friends. He just went trick-or-treating last month, and he got a lot of candy which he loves." The laughter Steve, Aleena, and everyone else shared lightened the mood a little. Steve took a breath. "You haven't asked to see him."

"I haven't." Aleena smiled sadly. "He needs to be settled here, I think. Perhaps when he's a little older – as much as I love my nephew and wish he could return home with me, I know he needs to stay here. I don't want him to see me and beg to come home. I might not be able to tell him no," she laughed. "He can be quite convincing when he truly wants something."

"Yes, yes he can."

"Yes, he can," Aleena sighed. "Well. I should be going. I told my detail no longer than an hour and I'm coming up on that limit. I'll be staying here for a few days, if you'd like to meet again to discuss any further specifics, or if you find you need further information from me." She pointed to the folder Steve now clutched against his side. "That folder has the custody papers of course, as well as Khalid's full medical history, a list of allergies, his favorite foods, stories he likes to hear, movies…"

"Yea, his mother left all that stuff with him, in his backpack when she came to visit," Steve murmured, and he genuinely felt badly when he saw the stricken look appear on Aleena's face. Talk about pre-meditative planning. "Not the favorite foods or stories, but the medical history and stuff like that. But I'll take this too."

"Very well," Aleena dug into her purse, pulling out her sunglasses and slipping them on. "It was very nice meeting all of you. Perhaps we can meet again under happier and less armed circumstances."

Steve watched her walk away back towards her car. "She's got balls," Tani murmured. "I mean… to come here alone, let alone at all? Knowing she could've been arrested?"

"Yea, she's something," Steve watched the car pull away, the folder in his hand growing heavier with each passing second.

"Steve?" Danny poked him. "You okay?"

"Yea," Steve smiled, taking a breath. "I'm good."

**Hawaii Five-0**

Danny told Grace about him and Steve the weekend before Christmas. The talk was long and awkward and filled with questions that Danny never thought in a million years he would ever have to answer, but in the end, Grace hugged her father and when they went over to Steve's house where he was watching Khalid and Charlie, she plunked herself right into Steve's arms and told him that it was going to be weird for a while, but that she was happy for them. "Just please no making out in front of me, okay? I wouldn't do that to you guys with Will, so please?"

Steve's ears burned with embarrassment, but he managed a strangled 'sure' as he hugged her back.

Because Khalid had never experienced Christmas before, it was decided that festivities would occur at Steve's house. Danny had his kids for the morning and Rachel was to come by later that evening and take them home after dinner, thus allowing the annual McGarrett Christmas Bash to occur without fear of freely flowing fermented beverages. Steve and Danny had come to the conclusion that while Rachel was still in town, she should be around the kids as much as possible, especially since Steve and Danny were seeing each other. They were all a family now, Danny had said, and it was important to him that they act like one.

Steve hadn't had a single issue with that.

Danny came over on Christmas Eve, the Camaro loaded with gifts for Grace, Charlie, Khalid, and the rest of the team. He was certain he'd spent the last two paychecks on nothing but Christmas presents alone, and there wasn't any way possible that he could've forgotten anybody; he'd even sent something to his cousin Jacqueline who he hadn't seen in five years but had reconnected with recently. So, it was a complete surprise that, when he knocked on the door (his arms were loaded with boxes and toys) , Mary appeared on the other side of it, and wasn't it just his luck that he forgot Steve's sister was coming into town that day.

"Wow," Mary stepped back, letting Danny in the door. "What'd you do, buy out Target?"

"It feels like it," Danny grunted, managing to carry the load of gifts over to the tree and put them down somewhat gently; nothing breakable, so that was good. "My bank account looks like it too, except now I gotta go back out there and buy more things."

"Why?" Mary shut the door and headed over to give Danny a hug. "I can see the rest of the stuff in your sleigh from here, there's no way you need to buy anything else."

"Uh yea, there kind of is because I forgot you and Joanie were coming for Christmas again this year and I kind of didn't get you guys anything."

"That just sounds like I get to guilt you into paying for a lot of food for the next week," Mary grinned at him. "Plus, I don't think it's exactly true that you didn't get me anything."

Danny patted his pockets, looked down at the tiny tower of presents, and canted his head. "No, I'm pretty sure you've got nothing in that pile or in my car."

"Probably because what you gave me you can't buy in a store," Mary rolled her eyes. "Steve told me."

Danny blinked. "Steve told you."

"Yep. Came right out and said it as he picked me up from the airport this morning. 'So, Mary, I just want to let you know that Danny and I are kind of dating now, sort of, and I hope that's not going to cause a problem for you'." Mary crossed her arms. "I know I dropped a baby on his doorstep a few years ago, so I guess he figured he had to get me back by dropping that bit of news in my lap as soon as I landed." Her head tilted to the side as she watched Danny. "You know, I never really realized how pale you were, and now I'm seeing you blush, and it's like… wow-"

"Yea."

"You're a tomato. Halloween was two months ago, Danny."

"I… yea," he laughed nervously. Where was Steve when Danny needed him, for God's sake? He decided to ask.

"He's with Khalid and Joanie on the beach introducing the two of them," Mary gave Danny one of her wicked grins. "A kid, a new boyfriend – my brother's a whole new man, Danny. I guess I have you to thank for that?"

"Uh, no, actually," Danny pointed towards the back yard, "you have Khalid to thank for that."

"Nah," Mary turned, heading for the front door. "I'm pretty sure it's both of you. Want help with the rest of the presents?"

It was an easy going night with a dinner of various take out – Chinese and Indian for Khalid and Steve, pizza for Mary and Danny, and Joanie had bites of everyone else's food with no shame what so ever – and after the kids went to sleep, Khalid in his room and Joanie in Mary's old room, Steve, Danny, and Mary hunkered down in the living room and in the study area, drinking wine and beer and finishing the wrapping job on the rest of the presents.

"Have you heard from Mom?" Steve asked hopefully, but just as he knew she would, Mary shook her head and said nothing else. Out of the two of them, Steve had the most contact with Doris (such as it was), but the last time he'd heard from her was a few years ago. He hadn't received any phone calls or even a letter since that time. He wasn't surprised that she hadn't reached out to Mary, but he could still see the pain on his sister's face when he brought it up, and that, in turn, hurt and angered him at the same time.

"Don't, Steve, okay? It's Christmas. She's not here. She hasn't been here for most of our lives. It doesn't matter," Mary stood up and brought the gift she was working on wrapping over to her brother, stealing the tape from him. "You're here, I'm here, Danny's here, and the kids are upstairs sleeping and when they wake up tomorrow, they're going to be insanely spoiled and have more crap to play with and wear than should be legally possible. Can we just focus on that? Please?"

Steve huffed a breath out of his nose. "Are you going to visit that boyfriend of yours while you're here?"

"He's not my boyfriend," Mary shot back, perhaps too quickly and a bit too hotly.

"That's funny, that's what you used to say all the time about Catherine, babe," Danny pipped up from his seat on the floor, wrapping a life sized Barbie that he'd run out and got earlier that day for Joanie. If Mary didn't want anything, fine, but he was not about to lose prime uncle status with Joanie and not have a couple of gifts from him for her to open the next morning. His quip earned him a sparkly blue bow being stuck on his head and soon, he and Steve were fighting with ribbon, bows, and paper all while Mary was whisper-yelling at them to keep it down, lest they wake the kids and spoil the great phenomenon known as Santa Claus.

Happy, giddy, and warm from the alcohol, eventually all three called it a night. Mary took the couch, assuring Steve that she wasn't going to take his bed and that she didn't want it either. "I don't know what you guys have done in that thing, so I'm good," Mary grinned as Steve sputtered. "Nothing! Mary, we haven't done anything, jeez!"

"Well, if you decide to do anything tonight, just keep it down so the kids don't hear you." She laughed as he grumbled a goodnight and traipsed up the steps behind Danny after making sure the house was locked down tight. Danny, the bastard, found the exchange slightly amusing, but as Steve watched him get ready for bed, he knew his partner's mind was on a slightly different topic of the same subject.

"You know, that's another thing we should probably talk about," Danny pulled the covers back from Steve's bed. It still felt strange, preparing to share a bed with Steve for the night, but like every other time he'd done it, Danny knew they'd both climb under the covers and be perfectly comfortable with each other.

"What?"

"Sex."

Danny waited for Steve to get a hold of himself while he choked on his toothpaste, and gave himself major kudos for not taking the joke about gagging that was just dangling in front of him, begging to be voiced as he listened to Steve clear his throat one more time.

"Okay, well, uh… you want to talk about that now?"

"No," Danny shrugged, "but sometime might be good. I mean, I like sex. You like sex, much as you've tried to live the monk lifestyle, I know it just doesn't work for you. But with this whole thing being new to us, I guess we need to talk about what we want to do, what's off limits, things we want to try, that kind of thing."

"Yea, or, we could just see where things take us and let it happen naturally without talking it to death, Danny." Steve tossed his towel on the rack and came out of the bathroom, standing on the opposite side of the bed. "We'll know when it's right, when we want to take this farther, right?"

"I agree, I think you're right, we will know, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we'll know what the other likes and doesn't like and won't want to do."

Steve sighed. They were talking about this now. He was resigned to it. "Like what?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I have never had anal sex where I've been the receiver."

Steve swallowed. Oh.

Danny nodded. "Yea. Didn't think about that, huh?"

"Okay, so we have some things to discuss," Steve conceded the point and slipped under the sheets. Danny did the same, pulling the covers up around both him and Steve as he settled on his side. "But," Steve turned off the lamp, rolling onto his left side to face Danny, "we don't have to talk about them _right now_ , right? We've got some time?"

"All the time in the world, babe," Danny grinned. "Cheesy as it may sound. I just want to know that when we get there that we'll both enjoy it and we won't wreck _this_ ," he gestured between the two of them, "because we're not compatible sexually. That's a big part of any relationship and it's too important to me to just brush over it, you know?"

Steve scooted closer towards him until the tip of his nose was almost touching Danny's. "Yea, Danno. I get it." He pressed a soft kiss against his lips, humming happily. It still felt new whenever he kissed Danny. "We'll figure it out," he whispered against his partner's lips, nuzzling him affectionately. "We'll buy a book, watch a movie, call Lorraine the Therapist, something."

"I'm not watching gay porn to learn how to make love to you, Steve," Danny deadpanned. "I draw the line at that."

Something in Steve's chest clenched at those words, that Danny chose to say 'make love' and not 'fuck' or 'sleep with' or any of the other many and varied terms that were used to mean sex. "We'll figure it out," he repeated, voice rough and thick. Danny shifted against him, pushing up on an elbow to look down at Steve.

"You okay?"

"Yea," Steve smiled at him and closed his eyes, feeling Danny's other arm slip up and drape itself over his waist.

"You know it's technically Christmas now, right?" Danny whispered.

Steve nodded, closing his eyes. "We better get some sleep before the kids wake up. Joanie'll be the first – she screamed so loud last time I thought the fire alarm was going off… what?" Steve trailed off as he caught Danny staring at him. "What's that look?"

"Romance is dead," Danny flopped to the side, flinging the arm that had been on Steve's hip over his eyes. "I mention it's Christmas and you start talking about screaming children-"

"I figured I'd be nice and let you know so you don't go for your gun tomorrow morning."

"Babe, I have two kids! You think I haven't been woken up by yelling and screaming that sounds like the devil?" Danny laughed. "Steve, Charlie tackled me awake the first two years I knew he was mine – ay!" Danny suddenly had an arm and leg full of Steve, who was doing a pretty good imitation of what Charlie had done all those years ago and was now attempting to wrap himself around Danny like some kind of python. "Get off, you crazy goof!" But Danny was winding his arms around Steve's back even as protested and soon they were comfortably ensconced with each other, Danny's head pillowed just slightly on Steve's shoulder, enjoying the Christmas quiet as the settled into sleep.

"Danno?"

"Hmm?"

The words were just atop his throat, but Steve couldn't force them out. Not yet. So, he settled for laying a kiss on his partner's forehead, letting his lips linger against the skin there. He heard Danny laugh softly, felt his lips ghost against his neck in an answering kiss.

"Me too, babe."

Steve held him tighter, and once he was sure Danny was out, followed him into sleep.

**Hawaii Five-0**

As promised, Joanie was wide awake just after six in the morning, announcing to any and all who could hear (Steve was pretty sure that included his entire neighborhood) that Santa had come and brought 'so many presents!'.

"She's not gonna go back to sleep, is she?" Danny mumbled into his pillow. Steve just laughed.

In the end though, Steve managed to get Joanie back to bed for two hours with the promise that she could have extra dessert after Christmas dinner and could stay up a little later with the grownups. He didn't exactly know how he was going to smooth that with Mary, but he figured that he would have some leverage since he succeeded in giving his sister two extra hours of uninterrupted sleep.

By 8:00am, Mary and Danny were up and worshipping the coffee pot, and Steve had finished his morning swim – "Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean I shouldn't exercise, Danny" – and had showered and changed into a t-shirt and sweats. He nearly ran over Joanie (or it may have been the other way around) as she zoomed past his room heading for downstairs. He shrugged; she'd held up her end of the deal, so there wasn't much he could say to her. Creeping over to Khalid's room, he opened the door and stood there, watching the kid roll over in his bed, blinking sleepy little eyes at him.

"Merry Christmas, buddy," Steve slipped into the room and crouched down by the bed, Khalid watching him quietly. "You ready to see what Santa brought?"

"Do I get to see Santa?"

Steve grinned. "No, see he comes during the night when you're asleep, and he leaves lots of stuff under the tree, but he's got a lot of houses to visit, so he doesn't get to stay very long." Khalid seemed to accept that, but Steve had a feeling that wasn't what was really on his mind; in fact, he was pretty sure he was seeing anxiousness on Khalid's face. "What's the matter, kiddo?"

After playing with the bed sheet for a few moments, Khalid looked up at him. "Remember when you said Santa brings presents that we really want?" And Steve felt his stomach plummet, because he knew what Khalid was going to ask next, and on Christmas morning, with all the promise the holiday brought, was when Steve truly hated himself because he wasn't going to be able to give Khalid what he knew the kid really wanted. "Yea, buddy, I remember."

"Do you think he can bring me my mommy?"

And boy could Steve relate to this question; could he ever. Every Christmas since he thought his mother had died, Steve prayed to a God he didn't even know if he believed in anymore to just give him one more conversation with Doris McGarrett. He'd found himself wishing for that same thing for the last three Christmases, wished for it last night when Mary had brought it up.

"I gotta be honest with you, Khalid, that would be really, really hard for even Santa to do, you know? But, I tell you what," and Steve couldn't even believe he was about to suggest this, but he couldn't take seeing Khalid so dejected and sad, and on Christmas morning of all mornings, "maybe next year, we can find out where your mommy is and if we do, maybe we can go visit her, okay?"

Khalid's face lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree, and for that face alone, Steve knew he would call in every favor, pull every string, to make this happen for Khalid. "Really?!"

"Yea, buddy, I'll do my very, very best, okay?"

Steve caught a wiggly 45 pounds of happy little human, and he was never so pleased to feel a twinge of pain in his lower back at the angle. He stood up, carrying Khalid to the bathroom to brush his teeth and then downstairs, drowning in the delighted sounds that tumbled from Khalid's mouth as he took in the tree with all of the presents shoved under and around it. "There's so much stuff!"

"Yea, there's a lot, isn't there?" Mary's smile was wide as she walked past, brushing Khalid's hair. He squirmed down from Steve's hold and ran for the tree, stopping short before picking through the gifts one by one. "I found one for me!" He held it up, grinning wildly.

"You and Joanie are going to open a few up in a little bit, and then we're going to wait for Charlie and Grace to get here and open the rest," Steve left the kids to pick the presents they wanted to open and headed for the kitchen and coffee and Danny. "So, I think I just said a really stupid thing."

"Color me shocked." Danny grinned.

"Very funny," Steve reached for a mug and opened up the fridge, grabbing the butter. Danny handed him the coffee pot. Sure, they could've used the press this morning, but with three adults in the house, two of them with certified coffee addictions, the 16-cup coffee pot was the far better and less homicidal route to go. After poking his head into the kitchen to make sure the kids were occupied, Steve cleared his throat, lowering his voice a few decibels. "Khalid asked if Santa brought him his mom."

"Oh shit," Danny winced, feeling a wave of sympathy for his partner before his brain clicked on; perhaps the caffeine chose that moment to work. "Tell me you didn't."

"Look, now that I basically have Aleena Hamedi's guarantee that she'll essentially take out anyone on her side of the hemisphere that so much as looks to towards or points out Hawaii on a map, and now that I have the paper work she gave me – which is legit, by the way, I had it checked out – then it's _possible_ I can at least start exploring the option of taking Khalid on a visit to the mainland to see her."

"Yea, you could do that, or you could keep him here, safe and sound, and maybe go to Halawa and have a video chat with her," Danny sipped at his coffee, looking at Steve over the lip of the mug and knowing that his argument was going to fall on deaf ears.

Then again, maybe not.

Steve was giving him a look that made Danny feel as if he'd just offered up the keys to Pearl/Hickam's entire arsenal. "That's actually not a bad idea, Danny."

"No?" This was new, Steve immediately taking his advice rather than fighting him on it.

"Yea, it's actually perfect. It keeps Khalid on the island, we can record and monitor what Azra talks to him about and cut the conversation short if she says anything we don't like. And maybe if that goes well a couple times, then we can do an in-person visit." Steve rounded the food prep counter to press a kiss against Danny's mouth, one that Danny wasn't expecting, but was none the less quite pleased by, if the happy hum was any indication.

"Yep. I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that."

"Mary," Steve grumbled, looking over his shoulder. "What could you possibly want right now?"

"It's 8:30 in the morning; coffee, what else?"

Which also meant it was time to start prepping dinner. Steve basted the prime rib while Danny 'suggested' spices to him – "You're putting the garlic on here, Steve, I don't care what you say" – and Mary started on breakfast, insisting the kids eat before attacking the Christmas tree.

Khalid and Joanie picked three gifts each that they were allowed to open and spent the remainder of the day playing with them until Rachel arrived with Grace and Charlie. As Khalid opened each present, Steve watched, phone in hand, snapping pictures of every reaction he and Joanie had. Once the kids were busying themselves with their new found gains, Steve poured over his phone, trying to find the best pictures of the 100-or-so he'd taken, completely oblivious to Danny and Mary's amusement as he asked their opinion on two or three photos which had been taken so quickly there was no discernable difference to them.

"Should've known he'd be like Mom with this stuff," Mary murmured as she watched Steve continue to go through his phone.

"Doris?"

"Mhmm," Mary sipped at her coffee, which may or may not have had a little extra 'flavor' added to it. "Mom was big on documenting everything; birthdays, Christmases, Thanksgiving, first days of school, you name it, we have a picture of it somewhere." She smiled sadly. "I always used to think it was just because she was being a normal mom, but I guess in her line of work snapping photos of people doing normal things was just part of the job."

Danny didn't comment on the bitter tilt to Mary's voice he heard, and he didn't blame her for it either. Doris would not be earning the Mother of the Year award from him anytime soon.

Around 2:00pm, Rachel walked through the door with Grace, Charlie, and what Danny was sure was the entire inventory of Wal-Mart in tow. "Wow, they really did give you a raise, didn't they?"

"Shut-up," came Rachel's breezy reply, "I've brought gifts for everyone, including you and it's not a tie this time, so be grateful." She smiled brightly and stepped away to greet Khalid who was waiting just a few feet away with a bright smile and a book in his hands. Charlie found Steve while Danny introduced Rachel and Mary – "Anyone who tells Danny to shut-up is okay in my book", Mary greeted sunnily – and Grace set to putting the gifts under and around the tree as best as she could. Eventually, Mary was able to introduce Charlie and Joanie, and soon all three kids were occupying themselves while Grace snuck out into the backyard and Steve's hammock for some peace. The rest of the afternoon was spent lazily snacking and lying around any availably cushy surface until the adults deemed it an appropriate time for the kids to unwrap the rest of their gifts.

Danny was watching Charlie tear into gift number seven from Rachel. "Jeez, Rache, how much stuff did you buy him?" She only shrugged, idly scratching the back of her neck. "It's nothing, really," she murmured, watching Charlie delight at the newest video game he'd been wanting. "A small price to pay for me soon not being able to see him as much as I do now."

Danny cleared his throat. "Rachel-"

"No," she shook her head as she spoke softly, "I'm not blaming you, Danny. I'll make this work. It's worth it for everything I'll be able to save for their futures." Khalid's "Ms. Rachel!" carried across the room and she excused herself from Danny's side, heading over and sitting next to Khalid to see the latest thing he wanted to show her. The saying went every boy had a crush on an older woman and apparently Rachel was Khalid's. Danny thought it was cute, really, and also understandable. With her brown eyes and chestnut hair that she was finally allowing to grow out a bit more, Danny figured that Khalid associated Rachel, at least looks wise, with his mother. Rachel certainly treated him almost as if she would Charlie, paying rapt attention to him and hanging on his every word while teaching him how to work the new hand-held computer she'd gotten him.

"You okay?"

Danny hadn't even noticed Steve sit down next to him. "Yea, I'm alright. Just watching those two," he pointed over at his ex-wife and Khalid, who was now happily seated in her lap. "Charlie doesn't look too jealous about it either."

"Charlie's busy with Joanie," Steve nodded towards the other two kids who looked like they were embroiled in a serious argument about what the best cartoon show currently was. "Grace is outside on her phone and Mary's in the kitchen." He leaned back, propping his ankle up on the opposite knee and folded his hands in his lap, just watching the people in his living room, but mainly focusing on Khalid. He dug out his phone and snapped another photo just as Khalid looked up at Rachel with a big grin on his face.

"Well, at least now I know what to get you for Christmas," Danny said.

"What's that?"

"Photo album."

"Yea?" Steve grinned, aiming the phone at Danny and snapping a picture or two. "Guess I could continue the tradition. Mom used to have dozens of albums of pictures from everything."

"Yea, that's what Mary said," Danny joined Steve in leaning back, his shoulder and arm running alongside his partner's. "You sure you're fine with her not being here?"

"I'm sure, Danny. I promise." Steve gestured towards the kids and Rachel, tossing his hand towards the back of the house where Mary was still in the kitchen and Grace was outside before lifting his arm and resting it just over Danny's shoulder. "I have everything I need right here."

For once, instead of arguing, Danny offered a soft smile and leaned a little more into Steve's space, feeling Steve tug him a little closer as they watched the scene in front of them, the Christmas tree still twinkling, the kids still playing, and them, Steve and Danny, together in every since of the word. Steve tilted his head just enough to discretely nudge Danny's head.

Rachel cleared her throat. "Sorry," she murmured quietly. Steve made to pull away, but she shook her head. "Don't," Rachel nodded at the arm Steve had begun to lift off of Danny's shoulders. "Really, Steven, it's okay. I can't expect you two to not behave as you normally would around me… but I do appreciate the thought. At any rate, I was going to ask; I'm letting Charlie have a sleep over with some friends on New Year's Eve. I thought maybe Khalid would like to come?" She looked down at her lap where Khalid paused for just a moment in searching through his tablet to bounce out of her hold and half fall on the floor. "I wanna go!" He picked himself up, practically flinging his little body at Steve, Danny's legs and the coffee table between be damned. "Can I? I wanna go!"

"There will be a few girls from Charlie's class there too; they'll be sleeping in another room if Joanie would like to go?" Rachel was doing her level best to keep her smirk off her face as Khalid stormed Steve's lap, knowing that the kid had just narrowly missed a rather sensitive part of Steve's anatomy if the look on the SEAL's face was any indication. It was like Steve was saying, yelling, actually, "yes, yes, yes, you can go!" just to protect himself from any further potential damage. It was what Mary came out from the kitchen for and what Grace appeared in the living room to, and through it all, neither Danny nor Rachel lifted a finger to protect poor Steve from an over-excited, happy, bouncy child. Mary walked over to plunk a tray of cookies down on the table for everyone and snagged one for herself.

"You're ridiculous," she said to her brother, rolling her eyes as Steve continued to wrestle with Khalid doing a good impression of a monkey babbling that he wanted to go over to Charlie's and stay up till midnight, all the while Danny laughed himself into the corner of the couch.

As Christmases went, this was a pretty good one.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Steve thought Tropics was delivering an astoundingly accurate portrayal of what being packed onto a C-5M Galaxy transport was like when he and Danny arrived for dinner with the team on New Year's Eve. Throngs of patrons created a veritable obstacle course as the two attempted to get to their table, and Steve was never so thankful for his profession as a law enforcement officer as he was then, knowing that the Tropic's staff had created a buffered area for the team away from the hustle and bustle of the public, allowing Hawaii's most well-known crime fighting task force some space and privacy. Lou and Renee were already seated at the table, cozied up with each other and a few drinks. "You made it through the masses," Lou greeted, raising a beer.

"Just barely," Danny squeezed in beside Lou and sat down, with Steve taking the seat on Danny's other side, and thankfully a server appeared at that moment, one of the ones that had waited on them before with Longboards at the ready for Steve and Danny and refills on tap for Lou and Renee. One by one (or couple by couple since Adam and Tamiko, and then Junior and Tani showed up) everyone arrived, took a seat and soon the table was filled to the brim with every seat filled and every table top inch covered with steak, burgers, lobster, shrimp, you name it, someone ordered it. Even Kamekona was complementary of the shrimp, and he peppered one of their servers for the ingredients in the spices, all while Steve and Danny shook their heads and hid their smiles behind their food. When their server walked away, Steve held his steak filled fork away from his mouth.

"Restaurant going okay, Kamekona?"

"Shoots, brah. A goldmine in the making-"

"Of course it is," Danny grumbled.

"-but you gotta know when to evolve, change your menu up a bit."

"Whoa, ho, hold on a sec, it's an Italian restaurant," Danny looked affronted. "What do you mean 'change the menu up'? It's an Italian restaurant, what are you gonna do!?"

"Maybe some of this spiced up shrimp combined with the cream alfredo," and everyone who was listening at the table could see that Kamekona was envisioning the dish on the table before him, "a hybrid of Hawaiian spices and traditional Italian… that's how you keep the regulars coming back."

"No, no, no, I think you're wrong, I think the way you keep regulars coming back is to keep things the way that brought them to the restaurant in the first place, and that is authentic Italian cuisine."

"Danny, we sold our shares. You remember that, right?" Steve glanced at him. "We sold our shares last year? You actually suggested it, we got most of our money back; it's not our restaurant anymore, Danny."

"I'm the only authentic Italian guy on this island, you think I'm not going to insist on at least some input?!"

"Didn't put it in the contract," Kamekona shrugged. "You want to renegotiate, it's going to cost you."

Steve spent the rest of the dinner in between conversations with everyone else and trying to talk Danny down from getting involved in the restaurant again. "You were the one who wanted to get out, you said you'd rather die from a bullet than a heart attack from running that place, now you want to go back?"

"No, I don't want to go back, I just maybe want to consult on the side, you know? I can be a Jersey Italian consultant," Danny sniffed and looked at Steve, who returned his look with an expression that clearly said he'd believed Danny had lost his mind.

"I can't believe you two didn't see it," Tani broke in through the halt in their conversation, her gaze flickering between both of them. "You guys have been partners for ten years; it took you this long to figure it out?"

"Hey, rookie, I don't think you want to be the one having this discussion right now," Danny gestured between her and Junior, whose ears flushed handsomely.

"Point taken, but again: ten _years_ ," Tani shrugged. "A few years is normal. A decade, not so much."

By late evening, dinner had ended. Kamekona had left to check on the restaurant and then get to his shrimp truck which would be serving food well into the early morning hours. "Drunk, hungry tourists, man. Gotta get the cash while I can," he'd grinned, waving goodbye and heading out. Lou and Renee had been the next to peel away, eager to spend some quiet time together. Jerry had left fairly quickly after that, glancing at his watch and muttering something about keeping an appointment. Once he'd left, Adam, with his arm around Tamiko, grinned. "He has a date."

"Get out of here, he has a date?" Steve smiled genuinely, no smirk or grin to be found on his face as he watched Jerry head for the beach. "Why didn't he say anything?"

"I think he wants to make sure it goes well, that maybe he has something to tell everyone back at work," Adam shrugged, finishing off his drink and looking at Tamiko. "Ready?"

They filed out, Junior and Tani right behind them, leaving Steve and Danny at the table to sit and bask in the night air and ocean waves they could hear crashing against the shore. The restaurant activity had died down somewhat, but it was still plenty busy, and Steve was beginning to feel a little twitchy. Danny noticed. "Want to go?"

Steve nodded, and Danny took care of the bill before they both followed the steps leading down to the beach. It was a nice enough night for a walk, and they still had plenty of time to head back to their car before traffic got so bad they might as well sleep on the Hilton's deck chairs. They walked closely together, bumping arms and shoulders frequently until Steve took the plunge, tugging his hand out of his pocket and using it to do the same with Danny's until their fingers were laced together. Danny paused, looking down at their hands; Steve held his breath, fully prepared to let his grip drop if Danny so much as twitched his fingers wrong. It wasn't like they'd talked in depth about how public they wanted to be with this, and with routinely making the news due to the cases they worked, with the criminal element they regularly came across, it was something that needed full and fair consideration.

"Is… this okay?" Steve asked, quietly. No judgements. If it wasn't, he wouldn't blame Danny for it. Hell, he was the one asking, so he would have no room to be angry if Danny dropped his hand. But Danny just stood there, contemplating quietly as he looked at their fingers before nodding.

"This is good," he said softly, tugging at Steve to continue their walk, heading back the way they came. As they approached the beach entrance to Tropics, Danny squeezed Steve's hand, waited for his partner to do the same back, and then dropped it, going ahead of Steve and feeling his partner's hand settle discretely against his lower back for the briefest of moments before fading off. They had an understanding, and Danny was glad that they were both on the same page, at least for now. They'd have to talk more about how open they'd want to be, but for the moment, this was good, comfortable.

Right.

The drive back to Steve's place was relatively quiet, though it took 20 minutes more to get to the house because of the massive traffic around the oceanfront area. Pulling in the driveway of the house, Steve and Danny got out of the car and Steve let them both in the front door. "Hey, when did you and Rachel let Grace get her first phone?" Steve suddenly asked, heading for the kitchen. Danny was surprised at the question, but readily answered.

"She was 11 or 12, I think," Danny followed through the living room and into the kitchen, taking the beer Steve readily offered him. "I think the first time I regretted getting her that thing was when I found out she was texting boys." Steve laughed, opening his Longboard and taking a drink while Danny watched him. "Why're you asking?"

"I was wondering how long I should wait before getting Khalid one," Steve sighed, leaning against the counter. "But I don't want him to have a normal phone, you know? I don't want him to be able to put all kinds of peoples' numbers in there and download weird apps, I just want him to be able to call me if he ever needs me or text me."

"They make apps for kids phones where you can program it certain ways – only give them phone numbers you want them to have, make the phone only be able to accept certain numbers, block other numbers, things like that," Danny grinned. "Don't worry, babe. You and me, we can go together when I get Charlie his phone."

"Charlie's getting a phone?"

"Well, his mom's gonna be living in Los Angeles and I want him to be able to talk to her and facetime with her, text her, all that stuff whenever he wants, so, yep. He's getting a phone. Rachel's taking it on her plan." He took a drink, studying Steve quietly before it hit him. "Aw, babe. You're worried about Khalid? You know he's fine over there with Rachel. He's spent the night at Charlie's house and other kids' houses before."

"No, I know, I know he's fine, I just…" Steve sighed, scratching his stubble. "I'm trying to get a handle on everything I need to get for him and make sure everything is the way it needs to be and it's just a lot, you know? I mean, I'm happy to, believe me," he assured quickly. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for that kid, I love him. It's just… it's just a lot. You know? It's just a lot."

"I do know," Danny held up two fingers, "Grace. Charlie. I know very well, and I know what it's like to be surprised with a kid you didn't know was yours. Not your situation, I get that, but still; I only got to know Charlie after he turned three years old. You got Khalid and he's five. But Steve? You're doing fine. I promise."

Steve's face seemed to light up at the praise. "Yea?"

Danny nodded. "Yea. You've turned your whole life upside down for this kid, who you didn't even know. I don't know who would be able to do what you've done for him in the last six months, or who would even want to. But you… Steve," Danny put his bottle down and slid away from the counter, heading for Steve until he was standing right in front of him. He took the beer out of his partner's hand and set it beside him on the stove top. "You might not biologically be this kid's father, but every move you've made since you've known him – _every_ move – is the move any father would make to protect their kid and keep them safe. You're doing so good, babe. Okay? You are. You got nothing to worry about, and neither does Khalid, because he has you." Danny tapped his finger against Steve's chest, leaving it there to push forward and fall back in time with Steve's breaths.

"That's… Danny, coming from you, you saying that," Steve blinked rapidly, looking up at the ceiling for a few moments before pulling himself together. "You're the best father I've ever known, so you saying that… it means everything to me." His hand came up to wrap around Danny's finger, and eventually his whole hand, and he loved more than anything the soft smile he got in return. They stood together in the kitchen, leaning against the stove for a long while, enjoying the quiet and each other before Danny nosed at his shoulder.

"You maybe want to go upstairs? Ring in the new year a little bit early?"

Steve took a breath, looking down at Danny. He wasn't sure he was ready for that yet, but Danny shook his head. "We can just sit together outside, babe. Or go by the beach. Lay in bed. Whatever you want to do. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do; you know that, I didn't even mean… you know. Now that I think about it, I probably should've phrased that diff-"

He was stopped by Steve pressing a gentle kiss against his mouth. Danny hummed a pleased hum and leaned into it, no longer shy about showing his affection. He opened his mouth slightly, enough for Steve to slip his tongue in if he wanted, which he did, quietly possessive.

"Upstairs," Steve pulled back just enough to whisper against Danny's lips. Danny tugged back just enough to get them both going up the stairs and into Steve's room, closing the door quietly behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the almost end, friends. Just one more chapter to go. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it and posting it. Thank you for all the kudos, comments, and tweets, and for sticking with this obnoxiously long tale. Season 10 is obviously quite different than what is portrayed here, but that's what codas (especially inhumanly long, six month time-line codas) are for!


	16. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, my friends, we've reached the end, and since it's New Year's Eve, I thought it was a fitting time to post the final chapter of this story. Below are some points and thoughts about the fic as a whole:
> 
> _Hanai_ was actually mentioned during this year’s Thanksgiving episode by Junior when he was talking about his ‘Hanai brother’, Owen. I’d searched for the Hawaiian word for adoption a few days before the 10.09 episode aired and found the word ‘Hanai’ kept popping up. Hanai is a long standing tradition among Hawaiian families originating from the Polynesian culture, one which sees Hawaiian families taking in children who no longer have parents or guardians to look after them, or who may still have a parent in the home, but the parent can no longer care of them. It isn’t a legal process, per say, but it’s no less important or legitimate in Hawaii. In fact, one might say that with the relationship and/or outlook on the U.S. government many older, native Hawaiians have, a Hanai adoption may be seen as far more legitimate than what many mainlanders and non-native Hawaiians would consider a legal adoption to be.
> 
> With as Kama’aina as Steve is portrayed as on the show, it made total sense in my mind for him to take Khalid in, and then of course, being Steve, he kept finding excuses to keep him. He grew up on the island, immersed in Hawaiian culture; I think it would’ve been second nature for him to do so. It’s likely he grew up with some kids in his school that were Hanai. It wouldn’t have been a foreign concept for him to consider. Throw in the fact that there’s show canon that supports Steve wanting kids, and the idea the show floats that a family can be created all different kinds of ways, and how could I not write this fluffy, angsty, McDanno bucket of a fic?
> 
> I’ve also created a series for this ‘universe’, I guess you’d call it, in case I get any other one-shot story ideas and want to add to this in the future. Hope you enjoyed the ride and thanks for reading! Have a happy and safe New Year and every blessing for you in 2020!

**Epilogue**

“It’ll be okay,” Danny assured Steve, who sat next to him as jittery and jumpy as he’d ever seen his partner. “Steve, it’s going to be fine. The papers are all signed off on, this is just a formality; he’s gotta serve you officially, that’s all.”

“I know, I know, but Danny, what if he’s changed his mind?” Steve looked at Danny from his hunched over position, worry and anxiety etched into his handsome features. “What if this judge has had second thoughts, huh? A single guy raising a kid alone? No mother figure in the house, the kind of job I have –“

“Hey, stop that. Don’t do that, that’s not going to happen.” Danny stood up, moving in front of Steve. “Babe. Look at me.” He waited until Steve’s gaze was on him. “You remember seven years ago, we were right here, right on this bench right here, and you showed up to my custody hearing for Grace in your uniform? I was going crazy, I really thought they were going to take Grace away from me that day, and for all of the reasons you’re thinking about and more. But you told me not to worry, and you were right. No, you don’t have a traditional mother figure to help raise Khalid – you got me, and I can do a really good impression of a mother hen,” he laughed, and was gladdened to see Steve’s mouth twitch, “but he’ll have a female in his life, right? Your sister will visit, and when Rachel’s home, she said she’s happy to have Khalid over some nights to hang out with Charlie, and Tani likes Khalid, Grace is already treating him like a little brother.” Danny stuck his hands in his pockets. “You have a family unit, Steve. You have me. It’ll be okay, babe; I promise.”

Steve blew out a breath that echoed through the lobby of the courthouse and rubbed his hands together. “Yea,” he nodded, inhaling deeply. “You’re right. It’ll be fine.”

And it was. The entire hearing lasted 15 minutes, where the judge read off his official expectations for Steve taking permanent, legal guardianship over Khalid before handing over a copy of the original order and adjourning, and while Steve was no stranger to court procedure, it took Danny tugging on his shoulder to get him to leave the court room, signed order in a tightly clenched fist as he processed out into the lobby.

Khalid was coming home with him to stay. The formal adoption would take some time of course, but until that process was complete, Khalid would remain safely with Steve, would live with Steve, would run to Steve from the bus stop with his latest piece of art work, would have sleep overs with Charlie and nights at the Hilton with the team.

“You want me to pick him up and hand him off to you when we get to HQ? Snap a photo?” Danny mimed taking a picture with his fingers, and the odd question was enough to knock Steve out of his shock. “What?”

“I’ve been saying this to you since you took the kid in, but you’re a father now, Steve. Every new dad gets their kid handed to them, so…” 

“What do you want to do, you want to bundle him up in a little blue blanket too? He’s not a baby, Danny,” Steve tugged his tie off as they headed to the car. He couldn’t wait for his cargos and t-shirt. 

“I got news for you, babe; when they’re your kids, they’re always going to be your babies no matter how old they get.”

The drive to headquarters was blissfully short, mostly because it wasn’t that far away, but also because Steve drove like a mad man. He was up and out of the car before Danny could even unbuckle his seat belt. “Hey, Zippy Gonazlez!” Steve stopped short and turned around, waiting for Danny to get out of the car and stride up to him, all the while dancing on his feet.

“Danny, c’mon!” Steve whined, but Danny just took his time until he reached Steve’s side. “Look, you run in there all excited and urgent, Khalid might thing something’s wrong, right? But if you just walk in there all normal, you can tell him the good news immediately and not spend precious time trying to calm him down when nothing’s the matter. Okay?”

Steve huffed (adorably, Danny thought), but none the less turned around and, at a much more sane pace, made his way into the palace and up the stairs into headquarters.

Lou was the first to greet him, followed by Tani and Junior. “Hey, Steve; how’d it go?” Lou asked before anyone else could, and Steve could tell just by looking at Tani and Junior that the same question was right on the tips of their tongues. He held the order up in his hand, pointing at it.

“It’s done. He’s uh… you know, he’s mine, legally, for now. I’m his legal guardian and I’ve gotta start the adoption paperwork but other than that, yea…” Steve grinned stupidly for a second, looking around the bullpen. “Where is he?”

“He’s hanging with Jerry and Adam, showing them something he learned on his laptop,” Tani grinned. “I think Jerry was going to show him some beginner conspiracy videos or something.” At the look on Steve’s face, Tani broke out laughing. “I’m kidding! I’m kidding,” she laughed, watching as Steve practically slumped against the table in relief.

“Steve!”

Khalid shot out of Adam’s office as soon as Jerry opened the door, running right to Steve who scooped him, hugging him tightly.

“Hey buddy, I got some news for you,” Steve settled Khalid against his hip, handing the order over to Danny to preserve it. Hell, he might even frame it, hang it on his living room wall. “You want to hear the news?”

“Is it good?” Khalid asked, slightly worried, and Steve nodded his head vigorously. “It is, it’s really good news. At least, I think it’s good news. I hope you think it’s good news, too.”

“Do I get to go to the Hilton this weekend with Charlie?” Because to any child, the Hilton’s pool was pretty bad ass and Khalid going only once had solidified that fact into his mind. Steve grinned. “We can do that if you want to. But do you remember how we talked about how I was going to talk to some people and make sure that you could stay with me?”

Khalid nodded, his head bobbing up and down.

“Well, I talked to those people again today, and guess what?”

“What?”

“You get to stay with me,” Steve looked at Khalid and he couldn’t help the hopeful look in his eyes, like he wouldn’t be able to stand it if Khalid suddenly changed his mind and started crying for his parents right then and there. “You get to stay with me, buddy; what do you think, huh? Is that good?”

For a second, nothing happened in Steve’s life. He didn’t breathe. He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. No one else around him did any of those things either, or rather, they did, but Steve didn’t register it. He didn’t register anything. It was just him and Khalid and him waiting for a six-year-old’s judgement that could gut him if it wasn’t exactly what he hoped for, what he’d been working towards for months.

“I can stay with you? And with Eddie? And Charlie? And Danno?”

“Yea, buddy,” Steve smiled, answering him softly, because his throat was closing up with emotion and that was all he could muster at the moment. “You get to stay with me and Eddie and Charlie and Danno and everyone else.”

The two little arms wrapping around his neck squeezing him tightly was all the answer Steve needed.

**Author's Note:**

> So, having worked inside secure perimeters, where public access is restricted, employee access is restricted to a point, and x-rays/wand searches occur with every single member of the public no matter who they are, I cannot tell you how much it bothered me that Azra managed to get into Five-0 HQ with a 3-D gun. That was a major question for me at the end of 9.25, and when I decided to write this story, I knew the first thing I was going to address was that issue, because it was something that my Willing Suspension of Disbelief was not going to willingly suspend. So, Chapter 1 was dedicated to answering that question and getting that all fleshed out and packed neatly away.


End file.
